The Cannibal Owl

Drifting through the broken plains of 1820s Texas, Aaron Gwyn’s latest venture into the American frontier tells a riveting coming-of-age story. Inspired by the real-life figure Levi English, a settler who ran away to live with the Comanche (Nermernuh) People as a young boy, The Cannibal Owl follows his journey of not quite belonging within a community that is nevertheless kinder to him than his own family. When Levi is eventually forced to confront growing tensions among the tribal leaders, he must make difficult choices about loyalty and self-preservation amidst deep grief and unrelenting violence. A novella of cinematic prose steeped in Native culture, Levi’s story evokes reflections on the complexities of identity against a stunning Southern Plains landscape.

Aaron Gwyn is the author of a story collection, Dog on the Cross (Algonquin Books), and three novels: The World Beneath (W.W. Norton), Wynne’s War (Mariner Books), and All God’s Children (Europa Editions). His work has appeared in Esquire, McSweeney’ s, The Missouri Review, Virginia Quarterly Review, Gettysburg Review, Swamp Pink, and The Spectator. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is an associate professor of English at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte where he teaches fiction writing and contemporary American fiction.