Reviews with content warning for Body horror - On the Savage Side

Fantastic. So hard to recommend because of heavy trigger warnings. I want to go back and reread because of the twist but not sure I can? I borrowed it from the library but will probably buy a copy just in case I can get the nerve to read again.

Content Warnings

briwithabook's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes

4.0

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breeamf's review against another edition

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dark sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

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reading_and_roaming20's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

What a gorgeous, yet brutal story. Days later, I am struggling to put coherent thoughts down to accurately express what this book is.

The circumstances sisters Arc and Daffy endured from childhood and beyond are heart wrenching. The reality is that the abuse and cycle of addiction within the pages of their story is not at all fictional for so many. TIFFANY MCDANIEL humanizes and creates empathy for women on the fringes. I had such love for all of the Chillicothe Queens.

MCDANIEL uses unique aspects of this book to make it so much more. The first section blew me away with the river’s perspective of a murdered woman traveling through her waters at the end of each chapter. It was both eerie and beautiful.

This book is not going to be for everyone. As far as content warnings go, it’s got them all. There are graphic descriptions of drug use, assault, and violence. But they are not gratuitous or included for shock value. Each horrific scene serves a purpose in building the story and invoking emotion in the reader.

There are illustrations throughout that set the scene as you progress from one chapter to the next. I made an effort to finish reading at one of these illustrations each time I put the book down. I would absolutely recommend this strategy. It immediately put me back in the story to open back up to a keyhole or drawing of an eye.

And I can’t post this review without giving MCDANIEL credit for one of the best twists of all time. It is not often that I am caught so completely off guard. Honestly, just incredible.

There is simply not enough that can be said about ON THE SAVAGE SIDE. It deserves all the stars and then some.

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pomoevareads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Not for the faint of heart, On the Savage Side, Tiffany McDaniel’s upcoming book is affecting and important.

Loosely based on the Chillicothe Six, an unsolved case of missing and murdered women in Chillicothe, Ohio, this book is narrated by Arcade Doggs, who goes by Arc. Arc and her twin sister Daffodil (Daffy) spend their earliest years with their grandmother who gives them all the love they need that their parents can’t give them because of poverty and addiction. When Adelyn and Flood Doggs convince Mamaw that they are sober and ready to show their daughters a wonderful life, the girls go to live with them. But addiction is a mean thing. It is not long before the girls are being raised in an environment of sadness, addiction and sex work. A police officer who comes to the house at one point makes a comment on his way out to his partner that in a few years they will be returning to arrest these young girls for the same things their parents have been doing. Talk about being set up for failure…

The story moves between time periods and focusses its lens on the girls. When we come back to see the young women in early adulthood, they are living the same tragic life that their mother and their aunt live. Going to the river with their friends is a past time, sitting in an old half buried car, getting high. The women call themselves the Chillicothe Queens. Each of the women in this story have a very distinctive character and we see their most human side. They deal with bad johns, family, children and pregnancy in addition to having hope, creativity and strength of character.

When a woman is found floating in the river, a new era in this small Appalachian town has begun. Soon one of the group disappears and turns up in the river and the group fears for their safety from the River Man. Reports to police are not taken seriously. Police comment on the risky lifestyles that the women lead as reasons to not assume they are missing.

This is not a whodunit, although there will be many suspects. This story is to show that the women who have gone missing or found murdered were human beings. They were mothers, sisters, and daughters.

I would recommend this book for people that understand hurt, enjoy Appalachian stories, true crime stories, detailed characters, great writing, and have good self-care practices as this one could be triggering for many.

Thank you to @netgalley and @aaknopf for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. On the Savage Side comes out February 14, 2023.

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