One of Us

By Dan Chaon

Book Overview

"A captivating new novel... As One of Us gleefully samples multiple registers -- comic, tragic, satiric, elegiac, poetic -- its mesh of archaic and contemporary styles becomes something quite arresting, a joy to read."
--Hamilton Cain, The New York Times

A playfully macabre and utterly thrilling tale about orphaned twins on the run from their murderous uncle who find refuge in a bizarre traveling carnival, from master of literary horror Dan Chaon

It's 1915 and the world is transforming, but for thirteen-year-old Bolt and Eleanor--twins so close they can literally read each other's minds--life is falling apart. When their mother dies, they are forced to leave home under the care of a vicious con man who claims to be their long-lost uncle Charlie, the only kin they have left. During a late-night poker game, when one of his rages ends in murder, they decide to flee.

Salvation arrives in the form of Mr. Jengling, founder of the Emporium of Wonders and father to its many members. He adopts Bolt and Eleanor, who travel by train across the vast, sometimes brutal American frontier with their new family, watching as the exhibitions spark amazement wherever they go. There's Minnie, the three-legged lady, and Dr. Chui, who stands over seven feet tall; Thistle Britches, the clown with no nose, and Rosalie, who can foretell the death of anyone she meets.

After a lifetime of having only each other, Eleanor and Bolt are finally part of something bigger. But as Bolt falls in deeper with their new clan, he finds Eleanor pulling further away from him. And when Uncle Charlie picks up their trail, the twins find themselves facing a peril as strange as it is terrifying, one which will forever alter the trajectory of their lives. An ode to the misfits and the marginalized, One of Us is a riotous and singularly creepy celebration of the strange and the spectacular and of family in its many forms.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250175232
• ISBN13: 9781250175236
• Release Date: September 2025
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.5" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Dark and Intriguing

This was an odd story. It was both darkly intriguing but also disturbing and somehow felt much longer than the less than 300 pages it is. And that was the same with the audiobook though the narration by Dan Chaon, John Pirhalla, and Stephanie Németh-Parker was excellent and they really brought the world and all its interesting characters of the traveling carnival that Bolt and Eleanor end up at while on the run from a murderously crazy "uncle" who will stop at nothing to get them back. It is a bizarre tale that meanders, giving back stories to the various residents of the carnival, their special talents, while Bolt and Eleanor work to fit in (or not). I would not call this light hearted, it is very dark and while listening to it, I only saw overcast skies for the carnival and uncle Charlie's unstoppable search for the twins and his way to fortune. A touch of the supernatural and unexplainable felt realistic and the ending kinda gave me chills. I am glad I did get a chance to listen to this, even if it kinda dragged a bit. It was interesting in its concept and I really did want to know what happened to the twins and the rest of the carnival.