Award-winning author Thomas Maltman will be in conversation with the legendary William Kent Krueger to discuss ASHES TO ASHES.

Musician Nate Boots will open the event with a few songs.

Tickets are $10 per person and include one $5 coupon good toward the purchase of ASHES TO ASHES.

Valley Bookseller will be on site selling copies of the authors' work. Both authors will be signing after the event.

ABOUT ASHES TO ASHES

Small-town Minnesota teenager Basil “The Brute” Thorson—a shy, reluctant wrestling star and “special” tracked into special education classes—vows to make his family whole again in the wake of multiple tragedies, during a year in which his community is roiled by strange religious and mythological events.

Another perceptive and empathetic novel from the author of Indie Next and All Iowa Reads selection Little Wolves, blending myth, history, and religion with a nuanced look at contemporary rural life, perfect for fans of Marilynne Robinson, Richard Russo, and Paul Harding.

PRAISE FOR ASHES TO ASHES

“Thomas Maltman’s poignant Ashes to Ashes is far and away the best novel I’ve read this year. Compassionate and lyrically written, it’s a story about mysteries, those of the past and the present, as well as the eternal mysteries of the human heart. I fell in love with this book from the very first page. I guarantee you will too.”
—William Kent Krueger, author of This Tender Land

“Ashes to Ashes is an original, daring, and sensitive novel that spans centuries of time in its search for community, family, and safety. This is a novel for every outsider battling the urge to leave their safe life behind in favor of unknown horizons, and for every intrepid explorer who does. Maltman’s book is part small-town bildungsroman and part rollicking Viking epic, but it is absolutely a page-turner and a delight.” 
-Nickolas Butler, author of Shotgun Lovesongs and A Forty Year Kiss

“Ashes to Ashes explores myth, religion, and rural America in this exquisite work of both prose and poetry. Known for his deeply nuanced portraits of small towns in Minnesota and the characters that populate them, Thomas Maltman will leave readers with much to savor and discuss with friends. Maltman joins the elite ranks of writers who are producing new classics.”
—Pamela Klinger Horn

“The story of a small town that reads like an epic. I don’t know what impressed me most — the superbly crafted prose, the deeply felt characters, or the mythological and religious quest of the reading experience. I’m in awe.”
— Benjamin Percy, author of The Ninth Metal, Red Moon, Thrill Me, and Refresh, Refresh.

“Ashes to Ashes unfolds in a rural small town, but there is nothing insular or quaint in this story of outsiders—a grieving daughter, a misunderstood son, and a stunted boy-giant, all inspired by the spirit of a centuries-old explorer to discover and claim their own lives. Thomas Maltman has written a wise and deeply empathetic novel. As contemporary as an Instagram post and yet resonant with history, this is the best book I have read all year.”
—Lin Enger, author of American Gospel

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Thomas Maltman
William Kent Krueger
Nate Boots

Tickets are $10. Doors open at 6pm. Online ticket sales end at 5pm.
Our full restaurant and bar service is available in the theater! Order from your seat and enjoy the show, we'll take care of the rest.