When a soldier returning home to a small New York town inadvertently transports an invasive species of deadly parasitic wasps, he sets off a frightening chain of events that throws an entire community into an unpredictable crisis. Escalating in its psychological, emotional, and narrative intensity, Ockert’s gripping first novel examines the choices individuals make in the face of danger, the limits of personal strength, and the value of family loyalty when the familiar world unravels.
Jason Ockert is the author of Rabbit Punches and Neighbors of Nothing. His stories have appeared in many journals and anthologies, he was the recipient of the 2010 Dzanc Short Story Collection Contest, and was a nominee for the Shirley Jackson Short Fiction Award. He is associate professor at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina, USA.