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rcampbell's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is the second of Tiffany McDaniel's books that I have read, 'Betty' being one of my favourite books last year.
This has the same dark, other-worldly, southern gothic feel to it. The story follows one boy, his family and the rural town he grows up in over one summer. Lots of moral lessons regarding religion, the "devil" amongst us and what evil is, were heavy going and not the most subtle but thoroughly enjoyed the story telling and use of language.
The setting is perfect and clearly one that McDaniels knows well. The heat and stiffling sense of the town was tangible, building as the tension in the story grew.
One reservation I have is in McDaniel's characterisation of the town's apparently only person with a disability as angry and bitter and being the 'evil villain' figure in the plot. This particular trope felt outdated and the book was written in 2016. Think this is a bit lazy and has the potential to perpetuate long-standing harmful trope of connecting disfigurement/disability with villainy. Or maybe this was the point....?!
I will look out for her future publications as I enjoy her use of setting, language and story telling and raced through this book in a couple of days.
This has the same dark, other-worldly, southern gothic feel to it. The story follows one boy, his family and the rural town he grows up in over one summer. Lots of moral lessons regarding religion, the "devil" amongst us and what evil is, were heavy going and not the most subtle but thoroughly enjoyed the story telling and use of language.
The setting is perfect and clearly one that McDaniels knows well. The heat and stiffling sense of the town was tangible, building as the tension in the story grew.
One reservation I have is in McDaniel's characterisation of the town's apparently only person with a disability as angry and bitter and being the 'evil villain' figure in the plot. This particular trope felt outdated and the book was written in 2016. Think this is a bit lazy and has the potential to perpetuate long-standing harmful trope of connecting disfigurement/disability with villainy. Or maybe this was the point....?!
I will look out for her future publications as I enjoy her use of setting, language and story telling and raced through this book in a couple of days.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Murder
la_lela's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Miscarriage and Suicide attempt
sarahasyouwish's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
This is the story of a man in an Appalachian town in Ohio printing an open invitation for the devil to come visit him and what happened when the devil accepted. You may (or may not) be surprised to find out that rather than the devil bringing evil with him, he simply exposed the evil that was already deeply rooted in that town. This is a literary novel with absolutely beautiful writing and characters who refuse to stay on the page. They absolutely come to life along with the sweltering heat in this novel, and they will most certainly burrow a place into your heart. I know they did for me. McDaniels is an amazing writer with a gift for telling eternal stories about small town people and the big world truths they live. She has quickly become an all-time favorite author of mine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, and Vomit
lorylor's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Murder
Minor: Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, and Death of parent
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