For fans of Jordan Peele’s films, Stranger Things, and The Other Black Girl, LISTEN TO YOUR SISTER is a laugh-out-loud, deeply terrifying, and big-hearted speculative horror novel from electrifying debut talent Neena Viel.

LISTEN TO YOUR SISTER
by Neena Viel
St. Martin’s Press, February 2025
(via Dystel, Goderich & Bourret)

Most Anticipated by Goodreads, People, BookRiot, Reactor, Screenrant, and more

Twenty-five year old Calla Williams is struggling since becoming guardian to her brother, Jamie. Calla is overwhelmed and tired of being the one who makes sacrifices to keep the family together. Jamie, full of good-natured sixteen-year-old recklessness, is usually off fighting for what matters to him or getting into mischief, often at the same time. Dre, their brother, promised he would help raise Jamie–but now the ink is dry on the paperwork and in classic middle-child fashion, he’s off doing his own thing. And through it all, The Nightmare never stops haunting Calla: recurring images of her brothers dying that she is powerless to stop.

When Jamie’s actions at a protest spiral out of control, the siblings must go on the run. Taking refuge in a remote cabin that looks like it belongs on a slasher movie poster rather than an AirBNB, the siblings now face a new threat where their lives–and reality–hang in the balance. Their sister always warned them about her nightmares. They really should have listened.

« Deliciously terrifying and belly laugh-inducing…Viel incorporates well worn genre tropes in new ways and provides plenty of bloodcurdling surprises along the way. » — BookPage, Starred review

« Unique and compelling … a terrifying and immerse supernatural horror story that is clearly underpinned with love. » — Library Journal

« [An] addictive supernatural thriller. » — Publishers Weekly

« Heartfelt and darkly humorous…Fans of Jordan Peele’s films will want to check this out. » — Booklist

« Anxiety metamorphoses into terror for a young Black woman fiercely protecting her own… A relentless descent into familial fears made manifest, both haunting and terribly familiar. » — Kirkus

Neena Viel is a horror writer who lives in a cabin in the Washingtonian woods with her husband and the best dog on the planet. Her passion for philanthropy (almost) rivals her love for ghost stories. LISTEN TO YOUR SISTER is her debut novel.