American Mythology: A Novel
Forthcoming July 15, 2025: A charming and comic debut novel about a quirky ensemble who embark on an epic quest to find Bigfoot
“With mysteries most eerie, abiding, lifelong friendships, and an earnest desire to believe in wonders bigger than ourselves, American Mythology has completely stolen my heart. Is the Basic Bigfoot Society taking on new members? Sign me up!”
-Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Thirteenth Child
“Giano Cromley’s American Mythology brings together a ragtag group of explorers on that most quintessential American quest: finding Bigfoot. Each has their own reason for being in the wilderness, and each has secrets. The story is fast-paced, funny, spooky, and has incredible generosity of spirit. American Mythology is a testament to the magic of friendship, the necessity of protecting our natural resources, and the astonishing power of belief. It’s the Bigfoot novel we need right now.”
-Nora Fussner, author of The Invisible World
“American Mythology is a riveting, big-hearted novel about a group of pilgrims who encounter both the mysteries of nature and ultimately those of the human heart. Giano Cromley has given us a much-needed reminder that, if sought, wonder may yet be found in our world.”
-Ron Rash, author of The Caretaker
“Funny, bighearted, and suspenseful, American Mythology follows a band of singular characters on a quest for Bigfoot—all of whom are engaged in trying to understand the crucial difference, as Giano Cromley puts it, between believing and believing in. I loved the deep respect for mystery suffusing the pages of this novel, and I was rooting hard for its characters to find what they were seeking.”
-Clare Beams, author of The Garden
“An absolute delight. AMERICAN MYTHOLOGY is an action-packed story about friendship, art and the nature of belief. It’s also funny, mysterious and filled to the brim with heart. Giano Cromley has written exactly the book we need right now.”
-Daisy Alpert Florin, author of My Last Innocent Year
“[An] entertaining adventure. . . . Cromley hits just the right tone, balancing satire, horror, and heartfelt drama. It’s a lot of fun.”
-Publishers Weekly
“Cromley imbues the book with an intoxicating whimsy, propelling the story with unexplainable mysteries, a diary that spans generations, and quiet battles for each member of the group. . . [an] easily digestible fable . . . Family drama, deep friendships, and the power of belief bring reality to this otherworldly novel.”
-Kirkus Reviews
“Using immersive prose and hilarious, relatable characters, [Cromley] writes of deep familial relationships that persist despite different viewpoints and ways of life and forces his protagonists, and therefore the readers, to examine what belief is—and how far we would go to keep believing.”
-Booklist
“[M]ore than just a story of searching for sasquatch. . . . The resulting adventure is comedic and heartfelt with a few moments that verge on psychological horror. . . . Woven throughout is a timely reminder of the sanctity of wild places.”
-Backcountry Magazine
"Heartwarming and a bit creepy . . . It‘s about the worthiness of pursuing wonder in the world, and the importance of preserving the spaces where wonder can thrive."
-Minnesota Public Radio
"This is a real gem. It's got mystery and suspense, but it's also full of hope, heart and humor (not to mention magical-realist elements as well). That’s why I’m calling it Goonies for grown-ups . . . I loved this story."
-The Optionist
“Fantastical, heartfelt. . . . In Cromley’s novel, what lies within each of these characters is just as exceptional as what might be hiding in the wilderness. . . . This is a novel for anyone who delights in myths old or new—their bold claims of what might be possible in our world, and what they reveal about the magic of the everyday.”
-Newcity
"American Mythology by Giano Cromley is a heartfelt, multifaceted adult debut novel . . . American Mythology delves into topics of skepticism, the search for meaning, and the complexities of human relationships. . . Cromley's narrative is spooky and at times comic, weaving a tale that explores themes of grief, friendship, and the mysteries of nature, both human and nature itself. . . Cromley's writing is a letter from the heart to the never-ending human quest for meaning and seeking a bond with nature."
-The Fandomentals
“A well-crafted work of upmarket adventure fiction that incorporates elements of mystery and the supernatural, Cromley engages along the way in something of a meditation on America, its history, and its beliefs in the concepts of civilization and Manifest Destiny.”
-Vol. 1 Brooklyn
Book Description:
Every month at St. Pete’s Tavern in rugged western Montana, a meeting is convened by the Basic Bigfoot Society’s members—both of them. Jute and Vergil are lifelong friends, bound by an affinity for the elusive North American Wood Ape. Their monthly meetings and annual expeditions are a tradition that keep their friendship alive when so much else about their small town has fallen away.
But things are about to get exciting for the Basic Bigfoot Society. Dr. Marcus Bernard, the country’s foremost Bigfoot “expert,” approaches them with a proposition that seems almost too good to be true: to join their next expedition, along with an ambitious young documentarian, Vicky Xu. Thankfully, Vergil’s daughter Rye is home from college, and decides to tag along in order to make sure her dad and Jute aren’t made fools of. Once in the woods, strange things begin to happen to them that seem to defy rational explanation. Is this a hoax? Or are they on the precipice of the greatest anthropological discovery ever?
A spooky adventure story and a wry and heartwarming tale of friendship, American Mythology is a fabulous debut about the power of belief and our sacred bond to nature.
Every month at St. Pete’s Tavern in rugged western Montana, a meeting is convened by the Basic Bigfoot Society’s members—both of them. Jute and Vergil are lifelong friends, bound by an affinity for the elusive North American Wood Ape. Their monthly meetings and annual expeditions are a tradition that keep their friendship alive when so much else about their small town has fallen away.
But things are about to get exciting for the Basic Bigfoot Society. Dr. Marcus Bernard, the country’s foremost Bigfoot “expert,” approaches them with a proposition that seems almost too good to be true: to join their next expedition, along with an ambitious young documentarian, Vicky Xu. Thankfully, Vergil’s daughter Rye is home from college, and decides to tag along in order to make sure her dad and Jute aren’t made fools of. Once in the woods, strange things begin to happen to them that seem to defy rational explanation. Is this a hoax? Or are they on the precipice of the greatest anthropological discovery ever?
A spooky adventure story and a wry and heartwarming tale of friendship, American Mythology is a fabulous debut about the power of belief and our sacred bond to nature.