White Horse

Wurth’s chilling debut is a ghost story that blends Indigenous mysticism with modern sensibilities. Kari James, an urban Indigenous woman of Apache and Chickasaw descent, had her struggles growing up, with her mother abandoning her as an infant, her father permanently disabled, and she herself barely surviving her wild teen years. As an adult, she’s a waitress, a fan of heavy metal and Stephen King, and a favored patron of the Denver dive bar the White Horse. Life was normal until Kari’s cousin Debby gave her a bracelet that once belonged to Kari’s mother. It opens Kari’s eyes to a world where her dead mother’s ghost watches her, and a terrifying beast stalks her from the shadows. Kari soon discovers not just the borders of the supernatural world but who her mother really was. Wurth fills the world Kari occupies with urban grit and eclectic characters while also injecting brutal moments of terror. Narrator Tonantzin Carmelo’s portrayal of Kari imbues her with a rebellious and tenacious attitude that makes her immediately likable.