Like Velvet From Antlers: A Novel

Abstract

Like Velvet From Antlers is domestic noir novel about a mother-daughter pairing and an exploration into how their intimate connection to a serial killer affects the minutia of their daily lives. The grounding principle of this work is a critique of romanticised serial killer narratives that play up the charisma of the killer and remove focus from the predominantly female victims. Writing back against the established—and booming—serial killer genres means creating a space where women retain bodily autonomy, the serial killer is not permitted to voice his justifications, and the voices of female characters are central to the story. To replicate fractured identities being woven back together through relationship, Like Velvet From Antlers takes place over the course of three decades—1987 to 2019—from four interlocked perspectives.