Head of Roses

Head of Roses is a slow-burn religious horror novel, the first five chapters of which constitute this thesis project. In order to examine its themes -- that of grief and trauma, guilt and shame, motherhood, religion and faith, and the redemptive power of love -- the novel carefully subverts religious horror genre conventions regarding the traditional roles of protagonist and site of horror. Head of Roses deconstructs these genre archetypes with an inverted narrative: the protagonist inadvertently produces the horrific element and the religious institution become the victims. Rather than addressing tensions in faith through demonic or occult subject material, Head of Roses focuses instead on the divine as an all-consuming force -- one that, if not engaged carefully, may both corrupt and be corrupted. For this reason, the novel separates itself from the established canon of religious horror works. Set in the early 1990s, Head of Roses follows protagonist Jess Brooks, a young woman attempting to raise her younger brother Benny on her own. The Brooks move to Mooresville, a small rural town in midwestern Oklahoma, where the tight-knit community provides Jess a sense of belonging she has hitherto lacked. Jess quickly integrates herself in the town, eventually finding herself attending a service at the local Baptist church, where she becomes intrigued by the enormity of both its faith and community. Over time, Jess grows continually enraptured by the faith and prayer until her unstable, trauma-founded relationship with her newfound religion results in a misguided plea for a confirmation of presence -- to God, or Jesus, or even an angel. Something heeds her call. Something horrific, with roots bedded deep within the darkest parts of Jess herself. And Mooresville will never be the same again.