The Untended

2025 American Fiction Book Awards Winner in Psychological Thriller “A lucid critique of American individualism.”—Kirkus Reviews “In the moving novel The Untended, a community’s grit, hardiness, and sense of unity become apparent, even as its citizens struggle with addiction.”—Foreword Clarion Reviews “Raw and up-close.”—Readers’ Favorite, 5-star review “Original, clever, and a story that is all too believable in the face of the ongoing and unintended painkiller derived drug problems of today, Mattea Kramer’s The Untended is exceptionally well written and an inherently fascinating read from cover to cover.”—Midwest Book Review “I couldn’t look away. The Untended is a feat of storytelling, with a narrator you can’t help rooting for caught up in a system that might grind her up. With all the tension of thriller paired with the deeply felt poetry of lyrical realism, I couldn’t admire this novel more.”—Liz Harmer, author of Strange Loops and The Amateurs “The Untended is addictive (in the best sense imaginable). It will simply sweep you into the lives (and crises) of Casch Abbey and her children. Don’t miss it!”—Tom Engelhardt, author of Shadow Government “An intense, crisply told story of resilience in small-town New England, with characters dragged into a mire of emotional and financial hopelessness, with the drug industry about to turn the final screws. Or maybe not? Kramer knows how to draw you in so you feel the journey is your own.”—Jude Berman, author of The Die “Mattea Kramer’s The Untended is as unflinching and memorable as its protagonist—a single mother and boxer who is strong enough to get off the mat even when life throws her a haymaker.”—Jesse Donaldson, author of The More They Disappear “A life-affirming story of gumption, resourcefulness, and ferocious attachment.”—Nancy D. Campbell, author of The Narcotic Farm

Mattea Kramer is a writer and researcher who has been published in The Nation and has appeared on MSNBC. She lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.

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