Mr Splitfoot - Samantha Hunt

"Nat and Rose are young orphans, living in a crowded foster home run by an eccentric religious fanatic. When a traveling con-man comes knocking, they see their chance to escape and join him on the road, proclaiming they can channel the dead - for a price, of course

Decades later, in a different time and place, Cora is too clever for her office job, too scared of her abysmal lover to cope with her unplanned pregnancy, and she too is looking for a way out. So when her mute Aunt Ruth pays her an unexpected visit, apparently on a mysterious mission, she decides to join her. 

Together the two women set out on foot, on a strange and unforgettable odyssey across the state of New York. Where is Ruth taking them? Where has she been? And who - or what - has she hidden in the woods at the end of the road? 

Ingenious, infectious, subversive and strange, Mr Splitfoot will take you on a journey you will not regret - and will never forget."

This is one of the strangest books I've read in a long time, and also one of the most addictive. Although I wasn't too sure whilst I was reading it if I was enjoying it, I couldn't put it down, and have since come to the conclusion that I LOVED it. 

It's a very strange story, with some very strange characters - a boy who claims to be able to speak to dead people, a cult leader, a man with no nose after it rotted off through leprosy, all linked together with a girl who doesn't speak. It sounds weird, it is weird, but it was a strangely beautiful read with a truly magnificent ending, one that I wasn't expecting that I kept thinking about long after it was finished.

If you like something a little bit out of the ordinary, and are happy to try something different, then i highly recommend this book - it doesn't fit in any specific genre for me, but I found it really beautiful and unusual - it's either going to sink without trace or be a massive, massive hit. 

Mr Splitfoot is out now and you can get it here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/

**My thanks to the publisher for my ARC**