Terrible things happen side by side with the ordinary.

Dawn hasn't spoken to her brother, Cody, since he was sent to prison for a violent crime seven years ago. But when Dawn's seemingly perfect life in the big city implodes, she is forced to return to her childhood home and the prairie city that still holds so much pain for her and her fractured family. Cody is released from prison with a mysterious new friend by his side, and Dawn must follow increasingly sinister leads to uncover their nefarious plans to access a dangerous supernatural network. As the lines between right and wrong blur and dissolve, Dawn recons with trauma and violence, loss and reclamation in an unsettling world where spirit realms entwine with the living—and where it is humans who carry out the truly monstrous acts.

ADRIANA CHARTRAND is a mixed-race Native woman, born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Her father is Red River Métis (Michif), born and raised in the Métis community of St. Laurent, and her mother is a mixed white settler from Manitoba. Adriana has two degrees in film studies and has previously worked in the social work field. She lives in Toronto and works in the film industry.

Adriana Chartrand's profile page

"A cinematic, haunting debut that explores the many ways trauma and violence stay with us, the benefits and dangers of a physical reality merging with a spiritual one, and how the most dangerous monsters we ever face may be the ones we already know." — Chicago Review of Books

"Creepy and unsettling, this assured debut addresses the ways violence, grief, and unprocessed trauma reverberate over years, keeping fractured psyches and relationships from mending." — Booklist

"An Ordinary Violence promises an unforgettable read." — Indiginews

"An Ordinary Violence is an exceptionally executed work of atmospheric horror that delivers cruelly and completely. Chartrand masterfully draws out the narrative, gradually heightening the tension through skillful restraint and careful pacing." — Literary Review of Canada

"This eerie and darkly funny horror novel explores the aftermath of trauma, violence, and loss in worlds inhabited by spirits along with humans." — Prairie Books NOW

"A chilling picture of trauma, grief, and violence that is anything but ordinary." — Library Journal