2025 Literary Titan Book Award Gold Medalist in Fiction

"Watson’s writing hits like a storm. The language is raw, unvarnished, and aching with honesty."—Literary Titan, 5-star review 

". . . a thoughtful and deliberate piece of literary fiction on both individual and collective experiences when caught between survival, remorse, and hope."—Readers' Favorite, 5-star review

"The author notes 'This book is a work of fiction. It’s also true.' In this sense, she taps into her mother’s family history for inspiration, with an unsparing look that seems to come from deep inside her at the hardships and tragedies of the agrarian working class based on experiences of real people."—Historical Novels Review

"The prose is powerful, often lyrical, and the narrative frequently heartbreaking. This is the kind of novel that may leave readers with the same sense of weary sorrow that accompanies a reading of The Grapes of Wrath."—Southern Literary Review 

“Orphans is a stunning debut. Where has this writer been hiding? It’s all blood and soul and heartache and survival. A story of the powerful and the powerless. I can’t recommend it highly enough and I can’t wait to see what she does next.”—Willy Vlautin, winner of the 2025 Joyce Carol Oates Prize, and author of eight novels, including The Horse.

"In Orphans of the Living, Kathy Watson gives us an unflinching look at how Americans lived, worked, loved, and dreamed in the first half of the twentieth century. Watson brings history to life on the page bravely, honestly, and generously."—Ann Hood, author of The Stolen Child

“The language of this debut novel makes the Stovall family come alive. The images are fresh and poignant. Each voice is unique, memorable and invites us to the Southwest and West of Steinbeck and Barbara Kingsolver. I look forward to more novels written by this story master. So will you.”—Jane Kirkpatrick, New York Times best-selling author of Across the Crying Sands 

"In this stark and poignant novel, Kathy Watson crafts a heart-wrenching story of poverty, injustice, and fractured familial relationships before, during, and after America's Great Depression. . . . To what end will each of them go to find forgiveness? Redemption? An impressive debut."—Ashley E. Sweeney, author of The Irish Girl

“Orphans of the Living is a masterpiece of writing as spare as the hardscrabble landscapes that never quite support its characters. Watson’s gift is that she weaves the threads of redemption like sinews that bind this poignant narrative into a story well worth knowing. . . . Brava to this debut novelist.”—Barbara Stark-Nemon, author of Even in Darkness