With roots firmly planted in themes of the Southern Gothic, On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah Yah Scholfield flourishes with a fragrant, poignant beauty, a nearly tactile wilderness in full bloom. Blossoming with vibrant violence, dramatic decay, and harrowing hauntings, this is an unruly narrative, one that is planted in a firm structure of recognizable horror classics, yet breaks free of its constraints. With such a modern, stylistic exploration of issues surrounding toxic family relationships, how such connections relate to the self, and unearthing the truth running beneath it all, it is hard to not consider On Sundays an instant classic.
Following a violent confrontation with her mother, Judith Rice finds herself breaking free of the only life she’s known. Where she’s going and what she’ll do is anyone’s guess, but she does know one thing is for certain: she must leave. In the wilderness of Georgia, Jude finds a home in disrepair, a house with untraditional occupants, personality, and seemingly a life of its own. Despite the uncanniness of the forest and the home itself, Jude finds herself in communion with nature, not only making peace with her dwelling, but herself in light of all she’s endured. It’s a life marked by less than traditional means and solitude – that is until a woman arrives on Jude’s doorstep in need of refuge. This arrival marks a departure for Jude, a flickering reminder of her need for connection leaving her adrift in the life she thought she had once conquered. As this visitor and Jude grow further acquainted, deeper truths are revealed, and Jude must contend with the life she’s been given, the life she’s destroyed, and the life she must rebuild.
A book as lush as On Sundays feels difficult to talk about without gushing; the sheer artistry and care placed by Scholfield in Jude’s story emanates from every page. One of the greatest achievements of a novel like this is the very assured style in which this story unfolds, the unwinding of twisted roots and festering family trauma. Schofield paints illustrious landscapes with her prose pertaining to concrete settings, complex characters, and elusive emotional states alike. This is a novel that teems with brilliance on numerous levels, giving tactile dimension to the uncanny, the fleeting, and the unimaginable.
Make no mistake, as gorgeous of a novel as On Sundays is, horror, isolation, desperation, trauma, violence, and, above all, hurt, grow legs and frolic in the vibrant landscape of Scholfield’s making. This is a Southern Gothic through and through, not just for its physical placement, but for the sociological attitudes and norms that are so deeply explored. Resentment, generational hate, and undeserved veneration are main characters as real as Jude, fostering deep, harrowing conversations surrounding identity on the other side of such harm. The imagery and personification instated with the wilderness that Jude learns to call home feels so indicative of the unruly nature of our own pasts and hauntings, the places we find ourselves in constant (sometimes heated) conversation regarding who we are and who we want to be.
And most impressive of all, Scholfield seems to be sharing a seat next to Shirley Jackson, chatting about places with just as much life as humans, their ability to remember pain, and act out in their own hurt. I write this with the utmost sincerity: On Sundays reads as a direct conversation with The Haunting of Hill House in every sense, from the smallest of details to the grandest of themes. Crafting a story with such signature flair while tapping into the iconic, Scholfield takes this horror classic into such socially relevant territory, delivering arresting commentary on topics of social rights, sexism, sexuality, and more.
Brilliant in every right, On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah Yah Scholfield is, simply put, remarkable in every sense. Drawing upon Gothic themes that resonate so deeply in the here and now, Scholfield so gorgeously explores the topics that hurt the most with utter beauty and poise. Never has horror hurt and hypnotized in such a fashion. Gripping, unique, and damn impressive, On Sundays She Picked Flowers is certainly a literary horror classic.
On Sundays She Picked Flowers hits bookstores everywhere on January 27, 2026 from Saga Press. The audiobook is available for preorder via Libro.fm!
