A review by jellybean_gene
Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Ok, so first things first: this was the second book I read by Buehlman and I hated the other, so I went in with...tempered expectations. I am fucking floored with how good this book was.
The prose was unflinching.
There's blatant racism and slurs used here (trigger warning), however it is delivered in a way that feels very authentic to the time, both in it's sparingness and who shows the behavior (half of the book takes place in backwoods Georgia in 1920 after all).
The main character is definitely dealing with some horrific PTSD from WWI and the flashbacks are gruesome and yet delivered so matter-of-fact that you can't help but keep reading.
There was so much depravity and pain throughout the story. I think the MC's war flashbacks parallel the eventual antagonist's story in that both give us an overwhelming amount of malice and suffering, ultimately showing the horrors humans are capable of. Which then begs the question, are the monsters the good guys? But like, fuck nah, they're also insanely cruel.
brings all of it crashing down as an extension of that main theme of pain and torture.
The prose was unflinching.
There's blatant racism and slurs used here (trigger warning), however it is delivered in a way that feels very authentic to the time, both in it's sparingness and who shows the behavior (half of the book takes place in backwoods Georgia in 1920 after all).
The main character is definitely dealing with some horrific PTSD from WWI and the flashbacks are gruesome and yet delivered so matter-of-fact that you can't help but keep reading.
There was so much depravity and pain throughout the story. I think the MC's war flashbacks parallel the eventual antagonist's story in that both give us an overwhelming amount of malice and suffering, ultimately showing the horrors humans are capable of. Which then begs the question, are the monsters the good guys? But like, fuck nah, they're also insanely cruel.
Spoiler
And then book ending on this horrendously awful fate of the MC having to shoot the love of his life
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Gore, and War