From acclaimed author K. Ancrum comes a queer romantic thriller in which the lives of Hollis a
boy in search of meaning and Walt a spirit with unfinished business collide when Walt takes
possession of Hollis's body...and maybe his heart. For fans of Adam Silvera and Aiden Thomas! A
School Library Journal 2025 Stars So Far list pick! Hollis Brown is stuck. Born to a
blue-collar American Dream Hollis lives in a rotting small town where no one can afford to
leave. Hollis's only bright spots are his two best friends cool girls Annie and Yulia and the
thrill of fighting his classmates. As if his circumstances couldn’t get worse a chance
encounter with a mysterious stranger named Walt results in a frightening trap. After
unknowingly making a deal at the crossroads Hollis finds himself losing control of his body
and mind falling victim to possession. Walt the ghost making a home inside him has a deep
and violent history rooted in the town Hollis grew up in and he has unfinished business to take
care of. As Walt and Hollis begin working together to put Walt’s spirit to rest an unspeakable
bond forms between them and the boys begin falling for one another in unexpected ways. But
it’s only a matter of time before Hollis’s best friends begin to notice that something about
Hollis isn’t quite…right. With the threat of a long-overdue exorcism looming before them will
Walt and Hollis be able to protect their love and undo the curse that turned their town from a
garden of possibility into a place where dreams go to die? The Corruption of Hollis Brown has
already received four starred reviews! "Ancrum’s tight writing style is perfect for this gritty
thriller: simultaneously clipped and lyrical...The novel’s rich tenderness for the town its
residents and their ghosts makes it a must-read. Queer resilience at its finest." — Kirkus
Reviews (starred review) "A psychologically thrilling and emotionally intimate tribute to
bettering one’s own circumstances—and those of one’s community—and the selflessness of love." —
Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Walt and Hollis’s romance is as intense stark and
heartfelt as the romances in Ancrum’s previous works...their growth as people is both genuine
and rewarding to watch." —ALA Booklist (starred review) "A knack for creating characters who
are bigger on the inside is on full display here...as Ancrum’s two-boys-one-body setup rests on
a delicate balance of voice that never falters...A profoundly beautiful strange and
introspective love story at turns soothing and scalding." — School Library Journal (starred
review) "This is a magnificent piece of speculative fiction that will have readers waiting for
more from this author." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
