Novels
SomeBody: a novel of halves
Quince Bennet has felt halved all of her life, but never more so than after a dog attack when the voice of her two-faced, Jekyll-Hyde, Shakespeare-spewing dead sister takes up residence in her head.
Determined to face her fears, Quince decides to volunteer at an animal sanctuary in Utah, and perhaps in doing so she can exorcise her sister’s voice.
At the sanctuary, Quince meets an orphaned teenager and her uncle-turned-guardian with their own misfortunes. Together they stitch themselves as a found family, but life unravels them in unexpected ways. They finally realize they need to be more like the dogs they rescue—dogs that embody the slogan: To Err is Human, To Forgive Canine.
"In this novel about love, loss (dogs and Shakespeare!), Doud gives us three unforgettable characters trying to navigate difficult pasts on the way to a hopeful future. This trio is a touching reminder that people sometimes step onto the stage of our lives for roles other than those we first assumed they’d fill. As Quince, Erik, and the heart-stealing teenaged Zareen figure out who they’re meant to be for each other, we cheer them on in figuring out who they’re meant to be for themselves.."
—Halina Duraj, author of The Family Cannon
“Somebody stares unflinchingly into the wounded souls of players both human and animal. Like the Shakespearean dialogue that haunts Quince, it calls on the power of language to stitch together injured creatures and broken families, and discover for them unexpected endings . . . and futures.”
—M Dressler, author of The Last to See Me
“In SomeBody, Laurel Doud brings us characters who have been wounded by the worst that life can dish out. In flawed yet compassionate ways, they help each other to heal and grow—bolstered by the wit and wisdom of Shakespeare."
—Kate Evans, author of Amazing! and Wanderland
Audio Book coming soon!
This Body: a novel of reincarnation
Katharine Ashley is a dutiful mother of two.
Thisby Bennet is a young woman with a dangerous taste in drugs and men.
One night each of their hearts stop beating.
When Katharine's departing soul finds its way into Thisby's lifeless body, the story of This Body begins....
"A frisky, riveting debut....With Doud's brightly visceral prose and deft sense of tragicomedy, This Body proves equally engrossing for the senses, soul and mind."
"A compassionate first novel...This Body approaches the uncertainities of life from an angle skewed just enough to give us a glimpse into something we haven't seen before."
"A fresh, thoughtful spin on the well-worn fantasy of inhabiting another body, the offbeat debut borrows the cast of A Midsummer Night's Dream and submits them to a very 1990s enchantment...Crisply written, wry, and intelligent."
"Doud writes with such grace and conviction that the impossible seems quite plausible."
"Engaging...strangely moving....So weird, it works."
—Bernadette Murphy, San Francisco Chronicle
—Lynn Harnett, Herald Sunday (Portsmouth, NH)
—Megan Harlan, Entertainment Weekly
—Publishers Weekly
—Sara Nelson, Glamour
To Err is Human, To Forgive Canine.