Date of Graduation

Spring 2019

Degree

Master of Arts in English

Department

English

Committee Chair

Jennifer Murvin

Abstract

There is a cave, hidden in the hills, that brings the dead back to life. Its power is the driving force behind the blood feud between the Walshes and the O’Briens that lasts for generations. Jeremiah Walsh, a young boy growing up just after the civil war, is entrusted with the location of the cave and its secrets. But when he kills to protect his family legacy, he is stricken with guilt and questions his loyalties. His story parallels Nora O’Brien’s, a teenage girl who moves to the Ozarks with her family after the death of her grandfather. As she explores her grandfather’s house, her family’s dark past comes to light and she finds herself on a quest to find the legendary cave. Eventually, Jeremiah and Nora’s timelines merge. The Resurrection of Nora O’Brien uses dual timelines to create a story set in both the past and the present. It does not conform to a single genre, but rather blends genre, as John Gardner talks about in The Art of Fiction. It is part regional novel, like Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell; part historical fiction, like The Teeth of the Souls by Steve Yates; and part fantasy, like Natalie Babbitt’s Tuck Everlasting.

Keywords

novel, Ozarks, historical, folklore, superstition, family, region, mystery, caves

Subject Categories

Creative Writing | Fiction

Copyright

© Abigail Elizabeth Benson

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Open Access

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