Em Carroll’s Lambda Award-winning graphic novel A Guest in the House is reprinted in a paperback with new art from Macmillan’s new adult graphic novel, 23rd St. Books. Today, Beat can unveil the unforgettable new art of Carroll for the Paperback Edition, an early release from 23rd St., before it officially launches in the fall of 2026.
The family guest follows Abby, who recently married a widowed dentist after moving to town with her young daughter. Abby wants to do it right with both, and strives to be both a good wife and parent figure, but she knows she can never bear the women they have lost. If it’s not enough pressure, Abby tries to settle for her new life, the memories of Sheila, her husband’s late wife, seem to be plagued by all her movements.
Here’s the complete overview:
After years of lonely years, Abby got married. She arrives in town with his young daughter and meets her new husband (a recent widowed dentist) in search of a new start. It’s strange to live in the shadow of her predecessor, but Abby does her best to be a good wife and mother. But the more she learns about her new husband’s first wife, the more things are not calculated. Abby begins to wonder. . . Was Sheila’s death really a natural cause? As Abby sinks deep into the chaos,
Sheila’s memories seem to become Abby, who is enthralled, captivated, and desperately loved, in the mystery she makes her a mysterious force of herself, making her a mystery.
As seen in the opening of the book above, Carol describes most of the guests of the black and white home, but changes to vibrant colors to explore Abby’s inner world. The same applies to new, unprecedented art created for the paperback edition below. These panels are not included in the paperback itself, but were created individually to celebrate the release.
“Making cartoons can be such an isolated process (at least, how I make them). When you’re in the weeds of new stories, it’s easy to lose sight of how it’s received when you’re in front of your readers,” Carol said in a statement by Beat.
“It’s very moving to me that it’s enough to be released as a paperback edition, knowing that there was such a positive response to this book. It’s one of the things I want to go back and show my past self.
Carol’s author portrait
Guests of the house are available in paperback from St. Books, No. 23, for $19.99.
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