CR 039: Allison Gunn on Her Terrifying Debut Novel, ‘Nowhere’

The author discusses her writing process, her Appalachian upbringing, and her love for all things creepy.

Allison Gunn, photo by Melissa Groves Christ

If Stephen King’s The Outsider and HBO’s Mare of Easttown had a book baby, it would be Nowhere, the debut novel from Allison Gunn. Eerie, claustrophobic, and chock-full of tension, Nowhere follows police chief Rachel Kennan as she navigates an unhappy marriage, the death of her son, and parenting her two daughters while simultaneously attempting to solve a series of grisly crimes that have occurred in her small Appalachian town. Soon, children in the tightknit, religious community begin to disappear into the woods, adults turn violent, and Rachel learns she must fight back against an ominous force or risk losing everything she holds dear.

Early reviews of the book have been positive, with Publishers Weekly calling Gunn “an assured new voice in horror.” And though the story itself is steeped in the supernatural, its themes are heavily influenced by Gunn’s own upbringing.

“I grew up a pastor’s kid” she says. “We moved all over the place, one sma…