The Familialists, TT Madden

Description

The Familialists
Paperback – January 13, 2026
by TT Madden

The Familialists is a chilling paperback horror novel that twists nostalgia, domesticity, and American myth into something deeply uncanny. When Sorrel receives a seemingly ordinary invitation from her former lover Maud, she immediately senses something is wrong. Beneath the polite language is a coded plea for help. Maud has resurfaced after years of silence, held captive by a man who claims to be her husband.

Following the signal, Sorrel arrives in Trinity Springs, a pristine Americana neighborhood that should not exist. There are no records of it. The streets loop impossibly. The lawns are flawless. The smiles are fixed. White picket fences gleam in the twilight. And from the moment Sorrel arrives, she is singled out with a warning meant only for her: do not go outside after sundown.

As Sorrel searches for Maud, the town reveals itself as something far more dangerous than it first appears. Trinity Springs operates according to its own rules, enforcing conformity, submission, and control through rituals rooted in America’s darkest histories. The monster at its center is not only supernatural, but ideological, sustained by those who believe order is worth any cost.

To save Maud and escape a terrifying system of domination, Sorrel must confront a force clawing its way from the past into the present, along with the people determined to keep it alive. The Familialists is a haunting exploration of queer love, coercive power, and the violence hidden beneath the promise of “family values.”