The Insides

Jeremy Bushnell

“Rich and urgent and weird, a novel that defies categorization but demands to be consumed.” —Robin Sloan, author of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore

Ollie Krueger’s days as a punk kid practicing street magic are mostly behind her. Now she’s a butcher at Carnage, a high-end restaurant offering deconstructed takes on meat, and on the busiest nights of the week she and her partner, Guychardson, race to see who can produce more finished cuts. Ollie’s the better butcher, but somehow Guychardson almost always wins. And Ollie thinks maybe it’s because the mysterious knife he uses is magic.

Before she knows it, Ollie’s interest in the knife has thrown her square in the path of a dangerous ex-marine called “Pig” and his hired psychic, Maja, who are on the hunt for the knife too—who want it so badly, in fact, that they might kill for it.

Now, magic is back in Ollie’s life and she’s being chased through New York City, with the fabric of space-time tattering around her and weird inter-dimensional worms squirming their way into her kitchen. And before all this is over she’s going to need to face up to the Possible Consequences of some bad decisions, to look at the uncomfortable truths that she stuffed away long ago, deep down inside . . .

Full of wit, imagination, and suspense, The Insides is Jeremy Bushnell at his finest.

An Indie Next List pick for June 2016!

JEREMY P. BUSHNELL is the author of The Weirdness (Melville House). He teaches writing at Northeastern University in Boston and lives in Dedham, Massachusetts.

Praise for The Insides

“With The Insides, Jeremy P. Bushnell doesn’t so much mash genres together as slice them apart to find the filets. It’s a literary urban fantasy with sharp things to say about the way we live now, darkened by a touch of Scandinavian thriller: rich and urgent and weird, a novel that defies categorization but demands to be consumed.” —Robin Sloan, author of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore

“The Insides begins with all the freewheeling magic and humor of The Weirdness, then ups the ante with danger, suspense, and rich emotional resonance. If you love fierce, witchy leading ladies, facing down evil, and traveling to strange realms that will explain your life before they haunt you forever, this is the book for you.” —Alyssa Harad, author of Coming to My Senses

“Everyone is after a magic knife in Jeremy Bushnell’s gripping supernatural thriller. What’s so special about this shard of a sword? It can cut through space and time….Each of the characters comes with a fascinating backstory—so intriguing…with a hopeful yet creepy ending.” —The Washington Post

“Like Lev Grossman’s The Magicians…The Insides is a book with magic in it but isn’t actually about magic. A fast-paced quick read with intriguing characters, droll dialogue, and a clever conceit.” —Tor.com

“Bushnell’s excellent second novel…[is] an off-the-wall tale. The alternating protagonists translates into a very fast read, as does Bushnell’s hyper-realistic prose.” —Publishers Weekly

“A gritty and sometimes gruesome urban fantasy about magic and consequences.” —Suvudu

“A character-driven fantasy with a tinge of absurdism. Following in the footsteps of The Weirdness, Bushnell’s writing isn’t without its comedic moments, but this new adventure also isn’t afraid to dive down darker alleyways and amp up the stakes with gritty, realistic prose.” —LitReactor

“[A] madcap tale about a retired street musician who puts her quick hands to use as a butcher, swearing off street performances for good. UNTIL! She discovers a magical knife, and gets wrapped up with a seedy crew that covets it.” —Huffington Post

“I’m really excited for people to read Jeremy P. Bushnell’s genre obliterating novel The Insides. It’s darkly funny and bizarre, but also offers moments of tenderness. Summer night time read for sure.” —Miguel Soto, Strand Bookstore

“[L]ike a Gaiman novel, except grittier and messier.” —Don’t Mind the Mess

Praise for The Weirdness

“This book is wild. And smart. And hilarious. And weird … in all kinds of good ways. Prepare to be weirded out. And to enjoy it.”
—Charles Yu, author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe

”Utterly charming, silly, and heartily entertaining . . . a welcome antidote to heavy-handed millennial fiction.” —The Boston Globe

”Wonderfully weird and entertaining.” —Esquire

”An illuminating parable for these times . . . you’ll just wish you had more of this delightful novel still left to read.” —San Francisco Bay Guardian

“[The Weirdness] is immensely entertaining, and more than being merely diverting, is truly funny.” —Harvard Crimson

“A comedic literary thriller situated between the world of Harry Potter and the Brooklyn of Jonathan Ames, Bushnell’s debut effectively mines well-trodden terrain to unearth some dark gems.” —Publishers Weekly

“A whimsical approach… an aspiring author in New York who wakes one day to find that Satan has just brewed him a cup of fair-trade coffee — and has a little deal to discuss.” —Tampa Bay Times