The Kings and Queens of Roam: A Novel

By Nitsan Chorev

From the celebrated author of Big Fish comes an imaginative, moving novel about two sisters, their dark legacy, and the magical town that entwines them.

Helen and Rachel McCallister, who live in a town called Roam, are as different as sisters can be: Helen, older, bitter, and conniving; Rachel, beautiful, naïve—and blind. When their parents die suddenly, Rachel has to rely on Helen for everything, but Helen embraces her role in all the wrong ways, convincing Rachel that the world is a dark and dangerous place she couldn’t possibly survive on her own…or so Helen believes, until Rachel makes a surprising choice that turns both their worlds upside down.

In this new novel, southern literary master Daniel Wallace returns to the tradition of tall tales and folklore made memorable in his bestselling novel Big Fish. Wildly inventive and beautifully written, The Kings and Queens of Roam is a big-hearted tale of family and the ties that bind.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Touchstone
• Release date: May 7, 2013
• ISBN: 9781476703992

Nitsan Chorev

Daniel Wallace is the author of five novels. His first, Big Fish, was made into a motion picture of the same name by Tim Burton in 2003, and a musical version on Broadway in 2013. He is a contributing editor to Garden & Gun magazine and is the J. Ross MacDonald Distinguished Professor of English at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he teaches and directs the Creative Writing Program. Visit his website at DanielWallace.org.

Reviews for The Kings and Queens of Roam

[riofriotex · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I finished this one, but wondered why I did - it was so weird, and also had nothing but unlikable characters: sisters Helen and Rachel McAllister, descendants of the even more unlikable founder of the fictional remote silk manufacturing town of Roam, Elijah McAllister. There's also a number of benign ghosts in this fantasy.

[bobholt-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was immediately engaged by the playful language and whimsical characters and setting. Wallace is a joy to read.

The novel is well-written and encourages the reader to consider those they have loved, yet wronged in the past. Nobody is innocent in this book. In the end, we all have done things we aren't proud of.

[micahmom2002 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was an ok read for me. A bit lengthy in spots and lots of characters to keep track of. The ending was a bit abrupt but the book did hild my interest.

[beamis12 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In lyrical prose Wallace gives us the story of a magical yet dying town of Roam. I first saw the movie "Big Fish", never actually read the book but the story behind the movie was quirky and delightful. In this book, Wallace once again tackles a story with many moral ambiguities and characters that are hard to like and yet sympathetic in their humanness. How this town came to be and why it is now dying is what kept me reading. The two sisters could have been young sisters anywhere, but not all the characters of Roam are as transparent. When I first started reading this I was''t quite sure what to make of it, but slowly I became enthralled with this unusual story. In the end, this could be any town anywhere, magical or not, when characters act with the wrong intentions toward others. Really enjoyed this quirky novel.

[thelostentwife · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Although I have not read any of Daniel Wallace's books, I am a big fan of the movie Big Fish so when I got an email asking if I'd like to read The Kings and Queens of Roam I jumped at the chance. There's something about magical realism that just... speaks to me. It makes me feel tingly inside and sends me into this relaxed state of being when I'm reading and I love any chance I can put my hands on a book that will bring that about.Read the rest of this review at The Lost Entwife on August 28, 2013.

[brokenteepee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I must admit that this was not a book within my normal genres but I'm quite happy I chose to read it. I truly love that when I go outside of my norms and find a book that keeps me so engaged. I did not read Mr. Wallace's first novel, Big Fish so I knew nothing of his style when I started this one.The book is two stories; that of two sisters, Helen and Rachel and that of the town of Roam itself. Helen and Rachel are left alone after their parents die and Rachel is dependent on Helen as she is blind. Rachel is beautiful and as the book tells us, Helen is not. Helen is very jealous of Rachel and starts to tell her a series of lies about herself and her surroundings. The reader also learns about how the town was founded and about its founders.The writing is just magical and so are the stories; there is a fair bit of fantasy involved in the tales and I'm not usually a fan of such but the book is just so well written you can't help but get drawn into the story and well, believe.Rachel finds that she doesn't need her sister as much as she thought she did and Helen realizes she needs her sister more than she thought. It doesn't end with unicorns and rainbows and the book does make you think - which I just love in a novel. The two tales come together giving, if not answers, then an end. I'll keep this one to read again and with all that I read, you know those books are few and far between.

[alexander19-2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book read like fairy tell, about two sisters, one blind and beautiful and the other healthy and ugly. Of course they begin to go against each other and we discover that the ugly sister has been misleading the blind one. And then the secondary characters, good lord I needed a glossary to keep up with them and their long, boring parts of the novel. It's okay for a quick read, but kind of leaves you bummed out at the end.

[erika.d · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Not what I was expecting. This certainly was a page turner but the ending was not very fulfilling.

[randalrh · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Magical realism is no surprise from Daniel Wallace. This particular version is about contrasts, family, choices, and a lot about decay, of various kinds. Its themes might really get to you, but they didn't really get to me.

[casabooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Had fun reading this. Fairy tale, mystical, family, morals-to-the-story, and sneak up on you Funny!
Fits many genres. . not easy to describe, bit suspenseful, so read quickly to find out "what happened". After closing the book, it's one that grows on me . . . kept going back to re-read passages.
Might be one to re-read to savor those clever or insightful parts or even laugh aloud sentences.