The Gulf A Novel
The Gulf A Novel by Rachel Cochran is a literary thriller published by HarperCollins Publishers on May 28, 2024. This edition features 304 pages and is presented in English. Set on the Gulf Coast of Texas during the 1970s, the narrative follows a closeted young woman named Lou as she grapples with the murder of her surrogate mother, Miss Kate, in a small, religious town. As Lou renovates an old mansion for Miss Kate, her life takes a dark turn when the murder occurs, revealing a community that is reluctant to confront the truth.
Readers will find a complex exploration of love and secrets intertwined with the backdrop of a small town recovering from a hurricane and the Vietnam War. The arrival of Joanna, Miss Kate’s estranged daughter and Lou’s first love, complicates matters further, as hidden histories of the town and its residents come to light. The Gulf delves into themes of LGBTQ+ identity and the societal challenges of the era, offering a unique twist on traditional mystery narratives. This edition invites readers to engage with a story that reflects on the values and failures of America while unraveling a gripping mystery.
Official synopsis Publisher
“Exquisite and gripping. . . . The Gulf is a page turner to be savored; Cochran is a master of both prose and plot.”–Ilana Masad, author of All My Mother’s Lovers
In this electrifying debut literary thriller, set on the gulf coast of Texas in the 1970s at the height of the women’s liberation movement, a closeted young woman attempts to solve her surrogate mother’s murder in a tight-knit, religious small town.
In Parson, Texas, a small town ravaged by a devastating hurricane and the Vietnam War, twenty-nine-year-old Lou is diligently renovating a decaying old mansion for Miss Kate, the elderly neighbor who has always been like a mother to her. Mourning her brother’s death in Vietnam, Lou dreams of enjoying a more peaceful future in Parson. But those hopes are crushed when Miss Kate is murdered, and no one but Lou seems to care about finding the killer.
The situation becomes complicated when Joanna, Miss Kate’s long-estranged daughter and Lou’s first love, arrives in Parson–not to learn more about her mother’s death but for the house. Her arrival unearths sinister secrets involving the history of the town and its residents . . . revelations that may be the key to helping Lou discover the truth about Miss Kate’s death and her killer.
A gorgeously written, gripping story of forbidden love and devastating secrets that is a surprising twist on the traditional small-town story, The Gulf is a riveting and unsettling mystery that holds up a mirror to the values–and failures–of America.
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