A review by comradecozy
On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel

3.0

“At these times, the river says, I remember you. Who you were. I will listen to what you have to say. I will return your name to you, even as you disappear.”

Tiffany McDaniel’s writing is mesmerizing in this harrowing read about the Chillicothe Six victims. This is my first time reading from McDaniel and I was enthralled by the writing and vivid descriptions of the river, the characters, the metaphors used to advance the story are like nothing I’ve ever read before.

Arcade and Daffodil are inseparable, they share everything. Their hopes, desires for their futures, their imagination, their love for their grandma and their generational misfortunes that they are struggling to get free from. Living in small Chillicothe, Ohio feeds their imaginations and their strengthens the twins’ relationships.

On the Savage Side is masterful in its depictions of fear, poverty and a child's ability to cope with their circumstances. The horror these girls are subjected to because of their mother’s own hardships and struggles with addiction is heartbreaking and a hard pill to swallow.

McDaniel expertly paints life in a small rural town into a fully immersive and captivating backdrop to a story of sisterhood in a time where women in Chillicothe are disappearing and their bodies are found in the river.

However, it would be absurd to recommend this book solely on its use of language. While the writing is beautiful, the subject matter is hard to get through and very bleak. The descriptions of hardship, addiction, child abuse and domestic violence is harrowing. My biggest issue With the book is that there seems to be very little respite from the brutal events that take place. The subject matter is vivid and McDaniel doesn’t hold back in her descriptions of these harsh events that shape Arc and Daffy.

Massive trigger warning for child neglect, addiction, drug use, domestic violence, child rape, rape, alcohol abuse, miscarriage.

3.5 stars rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley for the eArc.