Fans of gothic fiction, haunted houses and psychological thrillers have a chilling new novel to add to their fall reading lists. Ashley Woo makes her debut with Wildwood, a supernatural suspense story that blends ghostly folklore, family secrets and historical mystery into an atmospheric page-turner arriving Sept. 8.
The novel follows Elinor, a newly pregnant woman who believes fate has finally smiled on her after she unexpectedly inherits Wildwood, her family’s sprawling ancestral estate in rural Vermont. Freshly unemployed and eager to escape the pressures of modern life, she and her husband see the inheritance as the perfect opportunity to start over and prepare for the arrival of their first child.
But Wildwood quickly proves to be anything but a peaceful retreat.
Estranged from much of her extended family since childhood, Elinor knows little about the home or its history. The isolated estate is surrounded by dense forests, while the small town is controlled by a powerful family whose influence stretches back generations. As Elinor settles into the old house, she becomes captivated by a haunting 19th-century mural she calls “The Forest of the Dead.”
Soon strange dreams begin blurring with reality. Memories that don’t seem to belong to her surface during sleep, and eerie visions suggest a violent history buried beneath the property. As unexplained events escalate, Elinor realizes the house may still be inhabited by forces that have lingered for centuries.
Determined to uncover the truth, she digs into her family’s fractured past, uncovering long-hidden secrets involving witches, ghosts, inheritance and disputed land ownership. Her search carries her between present-day Vermont, the streets of Salem and the supernatural corners of Wildwood itself, where every answer seems to raise an even darker question.
Beyond its paranormal mystery, Wildwood also explores timely themes surrounding wealth, privilege, family legacy and the historical narratives that often silence marginalized voices while preserving the stories of the powerful.
Woo drew inspiration from her own move to a quiet Vermont town after leaving suburban Boston. Living in an 1830 farmhouse near a historic cemetery, she found herself fascinated by the contrast between postcard-worthy scenery and the unsettling isolation that settles over rural communities after dark. Those experiences became the foundation for the novel’s eerie setting.
Early praise has been strong. Bestselling author Andrea Bartz calls Wildwood “a bewitching debut” filled with lush prose and an intricate mystery, while Edgar Award winner Flynn Berry describes it as “a lush, spellbinding page-turner” that explores the lasting impact of land and legacy.
With its mix of supernatural horror, psychological suspense and gothic atmosphere, Wildwood looks poised to become one of this fall’s standout spooky-season reads.