The Withers

by Lee Upton

In the aftermath of a devastating epidemic, bodies marked with eerie patterns called withers become symbols of a painful past— a past many want to forget. Riatta, one of the marked, finds herself cast out, a survivor of controversial surgeries that saved her life but cost her everything else. Seeking refuge, she recovers in the home of a surgeon who once saved her. But when she learns his wife is pregnant, a shadow falls over this fragile sanctuary. Ruthless organ traffickers roam the streets, and Riatta is drawn into a desperate fight to protect the unborn child and her friends. With what Lisa Gornick calls " the creeping terror of a Grimm' s fairy tale," The Withers is a haunting exploration of obsession, loss, loyalty, and the fragile threads of memory. In a world plagued by betrayal, can trust ever be reclaimed?

218 pages, Paperback

Expected publication June 23, 2026

About the author

Lee Upton writes books of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and literary criticism. Her comic novel, Tabitha, Get Up, will be released in May 2024 from Sagging Meniscus Press. A literary mystery is forthcoming in 2025. She is also the author of The Day Every Day Is, winner of the Saturnalia Books Prize, and two collections of short stories, The Tao of Humiliation, and Visitations, which were both awarded the Kirkus Star. The Tao of Humiliation received the BOA Short Fiction Prize. Her novella, The Guide to the Flying Island, was awarded the Miami University Novella Prize. Her collection of essays, Swallowing the Sea: On Writing & Ambition Boredom Purity & Secrecy, received ForeWord Review's Book of the Year Award in the category of books about writing. Her poetry has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, the New Republic, Poetry, Harvard Review, American Poetry Review, and in three editions of Best American Poetry.

Reviews

[Emily Lorié · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been fighting a relentless bug while reading this fascinating story about a woman who experienced medical trauma and ultimate loss. While on the road to recovery, she’s taken in by her surgeon and his wife.
As the world looks down upon those who have endured her afflictions, trust turns to suspicion in every corner of Riatta’s world.
My current ailment doesn’t come close to the main character’s challenges, but I’d like to think it helped me connect with her on a much deeper level than I would have while reading in prime condition.
A gripping slow burn that hit so many perfect notes for this reader.
Set to release in June 2026, I highly recommend adding this to your summer TBR.

[Lori]

Good lord you guys! A deliciously dark addition to the post pandemic genre, in which survivors of a devastating epidemic carry creeping vinelike scars on their skin, a mark that leaves them vulnerable to daily scrutiny and easy prey for organ traffickers.

I cannot wait until you get your hands on this!!