Allison Gunn’s debut novel “Nowhere” is a masterclass in atmospheric horror, weaving together elements of Appalachian folklore, family trauma, and supernatural dread into a tapestry that lingers long after the final page. Set in the fictional town of Dahlmouth, Virginia, Gunn crafts a tale where the monsters in the forest might be less terrifying than the darkness we harbor within ourselves.
The story revolves around the fractured Kennan family: Rachel, the town’s police chief struggling to maintain control while grieving her son; Finn, her husband who’s spiraling through guilt and alcoholism; and their daughters Charlie and Lucy, each bearing their own psychological wounds. When children begin to disappear into the surrounding forest and a mutilated body appears pinned to a tree, the family must confront not only the supernatural forces closing in but also the secrets that have been tearing them apart.
What begins as a procedural mystery quickly descends into existential horror as the boundaries between reality and nightmare blur, forcing readers to question what is real and what exists only in the damaged psyches of the characters. By the time the true nature of the threat is revealed, Gunn has already wrapped her readers in a claustrophobic embrace from which there seems no escape.
Strengths That Shine in the Darkness
Atmospheric Tension and Setting
Gunn demonstrates exceptional skill in creating an atmosphere so thick with dread you could cut it with a knife. The fictional town of Dahlmouth is rendered with such vivid detail that it feels like a character in its own right—a place of beauty and menace in equal measure:
“The forest surrounding Dahlmouth took on a lovely, albeit strange, blue-green tinge when the afternoons grew long.”
The woods that encircle the town become increasingly threatening as the story progresses, transforming from a mere setting into an active participant in the horror. The author’s descriptions of the eerie silence that falls when characters venture beyond the tree line send genuine chills down the spine, as do the moments when that silence is broken by unnatural sounds that shouldn’t exist.
Complex, Flawed Characters
The greatest strength of “Nowhere” by Allison Gunn lies in its deeply flawed yet compelling characters. Rachel and Finn, in particular, are masterfully drawn studies in grief and guilt. Their toxic relationship—built on lies, resentment, and mutual dependency—provides the emotional core of the novel:
“We’ve gotta get out of here,” Finn said. “It’s going to get worse.”
“You should finish the job, Dad.” The Charlie Thing laughed. “She deserves it, and you know that better than anyone.”
Neither character is entirely sympathetic, yet Gunn manages to make readers care about their fate despite (or perhaps because of) their shortcomings. The way grief has twisted them into darker versions of themselves feels heartbreakingly authentic.
The children—Charlie, Lucy, and the deceased Aidan—are equally well-realized, their perspectives providing some of the most haunting moments in the book. Charlie’s adolescent rebellion takes on sinister overtones as the story progresses, while little Lucy’s trauma manifests in disturbing drawings that hint at truths the adults refuse to see.
Skillful Pacing
The novel’s pacing deserves special mention. Gunn demonstrates remarkable restraint, building tension gradually through the first half before unleashing chaos in the latter portions. By the time the supernatural elements fully manifest, the groundwork of dread has been so thoroughly established that their appearance feels inevitable rather than jarring.
The final chapters, in which the town descends into mob violence while otherworldly forces close in, create a perfect storm of horror that satisfies both intellectually and viscerally. The crescendo of terror builds to a devastating finale that feels both shocking and, in retrospect, the only possible conclusion to this family’s tragic journey.
Shadows and Stumbles
Uneven Tonal Balance
While generally effective, the novel occasionally struggles to balance its various elements. The procedural aspects sometimes feel at odds with the more surreal horror elements, creating moments where the narrative momentum briefly falters. This is most noticeable in some of the interactions between Rachel and Sheriff Odell, which feel more like conventional crime fiction than the atmospheric horror that dominates elsewhere.
Ambiguous Mythology
The supernatural threat at the heart of “Nowhere” by Allison Gunn intentionally remains somewhat ambiguous, which mostly works in the novel’s favor. However, there are moments when additional clarity about the “rules” governing these entities would have enhanced rather than diminished the terror. Jeremy’s hasty explanation of his grandmother’s warnings about the “Spirit Folk” feels somewhat rushed, leaving readers with questions that could have been addressed without sacrificing the essential mystery.
Secondary Character Development
While the Kennan family is richly drawn, some secondary characters feel less fully realized. Michelle, whose complicated history with Rachel plays a significant role in the plot, deserves more development beyond her conflicted sexuality and religious guilt. Similarly, the Wise family, despite their importance to the town’s dynamics, remain somewhat one-dimensional representatives of rural poverty and addiction.
The Horror Beneath: Themes and Subtext
What elevates “Nowhere” by Allison Gunn above standard horror fare is its engagement with substantive themes:
Grief and Its Aftermath
The novel offers an unflinching portrayal of grief’s destructive power. The death of Aidan has not just broken the Kennan family but twisted them into unrecognizable versions of themselves:
“Neither of them talked much about it; they didn’t have to. The crash was something Finn and Lucy would never stop reliving.”
Gunn explores how grief can become a prison, trapping survivors in patterns of self-destruction and mutual harm while convincing them they’re merely surviving.
The Outsider in Small-Town America
Through Rachel’s position as Dahlmouth’s police chief, Gunn examines the experience of being an outsider in a tight-knit community. Rachel’s sexuality, which she has suppressed to create the appearance of a conventional family, marks her as an interloper even before her professional decisions alienate the townspeople:
“Dahlmouth is anything but your town, and it never will be.”
The novel suggests that communities like Dahlmouth define themselves as much by who they exclude as by who they embrace, creating a fragile social order that can collapse into violence when threatened.
The Monsters Within
Most chillingly, “Nowhere” by Allison Gunn suggests that the supernatural entities in the forest aren’t creating evil but merely reflecting and amplifying what already exists in human hearts. The children who return transformed are mirrors for the town’s bigotry, violence, and repressed desires.
“Finn knew these were not just the children of Dahlmouth, but all those who had ever slipped into Nowhere.”
This philosophical dimension elevates the novel above mere shock horror, inviting readers to consider how easily society’s veneer of civility can crack when confronted with the unknown.
Final Thoughts: A Promising Debut
“Nowhere” marks Allison Gunn as a significant new voice in literary horror. Her willingness to explore uncomfortable psychological territory while delivering genuinely unsettling supernatural elements positions her work alongside contemporaries like Stephen Graham Jones and Alma Katsu, who similarly blend cultural anxieties with primal fears.
The novel isn’t perfect—few debuts are—but its ambition and emotional resonance more than compensate for its occasional missteps. Gunn has created a work that functions effectively both as a straightforward horror novel and as a meditation on family, grief, and the parts of ourselves we try to hide.
For readers who appreciate horror that doesn’t shy away from emotional complexity and who don’t mind carrying a story’s disquiet with them long after finishing, “Nowhere” offers a journey into darkness well worth taking. Just be prepared to leave a light on afterward—both literally and metaphorically.
“Nowhere” by Allison Gunn draws its power not from cheap scares but from the recognition that the most frightening monsters are the ones we create ourselves—through hatred, through grief, and through the lies we tell to avoid facing our own darkness. In this stunning debut, Gunn reminds us that sometimes the most terrifying place isn’t in the forest beyond our homes but in the shadows of our own hearts.
Who Would Enjoy This Book
- Fans of character-driven horror like Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting of Hill House” or Stephen King’s “Pet Sematary”
- Readers who appreciated the atmospheric dread of “True Detective” (Season 1)
- Those interested in Appalachian folklore and rural American gothic
- Anyone who enjoys horror that interweaves supernatural elements with psychological trauma
This debut establishes Allison Gunn as a writer to watch in the horror genre, combining intellectual depth with visceral fear in a way that leaves readers both disturbed and thoughtful long after the final page.
