The Way It Haunted Him

A terrifying and powerful dark academia novel about Jewish folklore, grief, and other things locked in the archives. Perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher, Tori Bovalino and Sunyi Dean.

“It’s real. You’ll see.”

Michael Stein arrives at the Schechter Institute for Judaic Studies in upstate New York, battered and broken after the death of his boyfriend seven months prior. Blaming himself for the accident that killed him, Michael has come to the Institute to complete his boyfriend’s dissertation as part of his effort at repentance. While Michael’s own past leads him to condemn superstition as a way to mask prejudice and old-fashioned beliefs, his boyfriend’s research argues that the folktales told in the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe were based in truth, and that demons and other creatures walked the earth, wreaking havoc on peoples’ lives.

Instead of the Institute’s infamous archivist, Michael is met by his grandson, Jacob Schechter, who has taken over the archive after his grandfather’s death. A firm believer in the existence of the supernatural, Jacob explains that the archive plays host to a coterie of household demons. Michael insists that he is a skeptic, but strange and frightening occurrences plague his research, causing Michael to question both his sanity and his view of the world.

To cope with his guilt, grief, and the terrifying shadows following him, Michael must reckon with the events leading up to his boyfriend’s death—and his role in it—by trusting the enigmatic Jacob to help uncover the truth. As untangling the mysteries of the past bring Jacob and Michael closer together, their respective secrets threaten to tear them apart. Because Michael is not the only one with darkness on his conscience, and if he and Jacob discover the truth of each other, only one of them may survive the fallout.

Review

Samotin casts a spell over the reader with this sensuous dark academia novel as dark and twisted as the stacks of an occult library.
--S.T. Gibson, internationally bestselling author of A Dowry of Blood

I'm the one haunted by this tender and gorgeous story. Laura R. Samotin tackles themes of atonement and duty-and how those things can be wielded as a form of abuse-in the nuanced way that her readers have come to expect, while expertly weaving in Jewish mysticism and casual queerness. Fans of dark fantasy, shining hope, and everlasting love, don't miss out on this one.
--Kamilah Cole, USA Today & National Indie bestselling author of An Arcane Inheritance

The Way It Haunted Him is a love letter to horror readers. A story steeped in folklore, queer love, and the harsh reality of grief, guilt, and the monsters we inherit. Laura R. Samotin, the master of a one-sitting read, has struck again.
--Ben Alderson, author of The Haunting of William Thorn

Laura Samotin stuns again. Her dark, entrancing prose and wonderfully complex characters will leave readers spellbound, as they delve with Michael Stein into the secrets of Schechter Institute. A powerful gothic tale that will have readers at the edge of their seats.
--Aden Polydoros, author of The City Beautiful

Beautifully poignant and chillingly dark, The Way it Haunted Him is an examination of grief, obsession, trauma and above all, love. It grabbed me by the throat and refused to let go.
-Frances White, bestselling author of Voyage of the Damned

About the Author

Laura R. Samotin has a PhD in international relations and enjoys using her academic background on military tactics, power politics, and leadership to enliven and inform her creative writing. Her adult fiction is grounded in Jewish myth, mysticism, and her Eastern European Jewish heritage.

She served as a 2021 #DVMentor mentor and a 2021-2022 WriteMentor Summer Program mentor, and also runs the website Query101 to help authors on their writing journey. She lives with her spouse, and when she’s not researching or writing, she relishes her role as a full-time cat servant.