Books like Witches on the Road Tonight

What a fantastic find! While I'm categorizing it as Horror for purposes of my Horror Readathon, this book is a lot of things: Historical fiction, fairy tale, family saga, etc. And while a book that jumps through time and plotline as much as this one does is risky, it really paid off. The throughline of the book is Eddie Alley, brought up in Appalachia, and more importantly, from a family of witches. As a child an accident brings a writer and photographer find themselves at the Alley's small and strange cabin. As an adult, now locally famous as the host of weekly horror movies, Eddie adopts a troubled teen to join his daughter Wallis. And finally, full grown Wallis and aging Eddie consider the now-lost boy. I particularly loved the oldest plotline, every part of it just sang. The photographer's worldweary romance with the writer, already knowing he will let her down. The writer's seduction by magical forces and his inability to escape them. Most of all I loved Cora, Eddie's mother, who is strange in the way witches should be strange. Unknowable. The witchy night scenes of secrecy are some of the best writing I can recall, certainly some of the best horror I've read. A very ambitious, very enjoyable novel that may not scare in the traditional way but that packs a real emotional punch.