Just as his indie-rock band was poised to make it big, Ben Dirjery traded it all in for fatherhood and the stability of a job at Bolster Hill Cemetery. Now closing in on fifty, the former guitarist finds himself divorced and at loose ends, and still haunted by the tragic death of his former band's lead singer, who is buried, literally, under Ben's feet. Then Ben’s daughter begins questioning a past he has tried to bury. If he can face her questions, he might finally put to rest his guilt over his bandmate’s death, and bring music back into his life.
“Startlingly incongruous parts—graveyards, guitars, and mushrooms—come together in satisfying and unexpected ways. Sharp writing and an unconventional plot make for a darkly enjoyable read.”—Kirkus Reviews
“In This Ground brings both music and joy to an otherwise mournful landscape. Castrodale challenges us to come to terms with what is important in our lives by confronting the inevitability of death, and she does so with such frankness and grace that we are compelled to embrace, rather than fear, the unknown.”—Wendy J. Fox, author of The Pull of It and The Seven Stages of Anger
"Castrodale makes a cemetery not only come to life but also become a central character. Deep in the soil of this unlikely ground, [she]has buried great heart. She channels Richard Russo in her ability to command a large cast of characters about whom we care greatly."—Jen Michalski, author of The Summer She Was Under Water
“That a graveyard can be a stage for so much vigorous, multilayered life is one of the many surprises in Beth Castrodale’s warm and wonderful novel. The paths of vividly drawn characters intersect to create a vibrant canvas of uncommon richness and breadth. With the deftness of a magician and uncanny insight, Castrodale weaves together the present moment with its contending dramas and the past with its tragedies, in this moving and deeply satisfying novel that illuminates how hearts break and how they mend.” —Lynn Sloan, author of This Far Isn’t Far Enough and Principles of Navigation
“This novel possesses a mythic sweep. Yet the characters are so sharply drawn, so intimately detailed, they feel like people we all know—people who, while full of regret and self-deception, hidden pain and longing, still manage to find a bittersweet redemption in living. In This Ground shows Beth Castrodale to be a writer well attuned to the music of the human heart.”—Jeff Fearnside, author of Making Love While Levitating Three Feet in the Air
“If I didn’t already love hanging out in cemeteries, Beth Castrodale’s In This Ground would prompt me to take a sudden field trip to my local graveyard, to stalk plotted rows with a fresh perspective, one that discerns the politics of burial and exhumation, and the complexity of death. But even more compelling is the novel’s compassionate treatment of the living. Park your car in the upper lot and prepare yourself for all that unfolds when unexpected alliances form under the luminescence of mushrooms and moonlight.”—Jodi Paloni, author of They Could Live with Themselves
