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A review by deedireads
Shutter by Ramona Emerson
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Shutter is a fast-paced, character-driven paranormal thriller that doesn’t quite knock it out of the park, but does some interesting things and definitely holds your attention.
For you if: You don’t mind gore and want to read more genre fiction by Indigenous authors.
FULL REVIEW:
Shutter is a fast-paced, Indigenous, paranormal thriller that was longlisted for the National Book Award for Fiction this year. While a lot of people are ranking it last on the list (including, probably, me) and scratching their heads about its nomination, I do think it does some interesting things that are worth talking about.
The story is about a Navajo woman named Rita who takes forensic photos for the Albuquerque police department for a living. She can also see and talk to ghosts — has for her whole life. We jump back and forth between the present day, where one woman’s ghost pushes Rita into the thick of some dangerous corruption in order to solve her murder, and the past, as Rita was raised by her grandmother on a reservation, fell in love with cameras, and struggled with a gift that was feared (and often, understandably, disbelieved) by her community.
The thing about this book is that it doesn’t quite feel like literary fiction but also doesn’t quite feel like a thriller, which is why I think it’s leaving readers on both sides a little underwhelmed. It wasn’t really a mystery, at least not to us as readers; there’s no big twist to the present-day storyline, just a steady build to an explosive ending. Still, it does have momentum (I read it in one afternoon, aided by the audiobook).
I think the chapters set in the past are the ones that earned this book its NBA nomination; Emerson really explores a lot in these sections about home and community, childhood trauma, an absent mother, and how we can escape our ghosts (literally and metaphorically) while still carrying our loved ones with us — especially using photography as a way to do both.
One last thing to note: Be aware that the opening chapter of this book has some pretty lengthy, graphic descriptions of pieces of a dead body scattered all over the ground. It was a notable opening, but kind of a lot.
Anyway, if you’re curious about this one, I think it’s worth picking up just to challenge your notion of genre and look for the things the NBA judges found. It’s a quick read regardless!
TL;DR REVIEW:
Shutter is a fast-paced, character-driven paranormal thriller that doesn’t quite knock it out of the park, but does some interesting things and definitely holds your attention.
For you if: You don’t mind gore and want to read more genre fiction by Indigenous authors.
FULL REVIEW:
Shutter is a fast-paced, Indigenous, paranormal thriller that was longlisted for the National Book Award for Fiction this year. While a lot of people are ranking it last on the list (including, probably, me) and scratching their heads about its nomination, I do think it does some interesting things that are worth talking about.
The story is about a Navajo woman named Rita who takes forensic photos for the Albuquerque police department for a living. She can also see and talk to ghosts — has for her whole life. We jump back and forth between the present day, where one woman’s ghost pushes Rita into the thick of some dangerous corruption in order to solve her murder, and the past, as Rita was raised by her grandmother on a reservation, fell in love with cameras, and struggled with a gift that was feared (and often, understandably, disbelieved) by her community.
The thing about this book is that it doesn’t quite feel like literary fiction but also doesn’t quite feel like a thriller, which is why I think it’s leaving readers on both sides a little underwhelmed. It wasn’t really a mystery, at least not to us as readers; there’s no big twist to the present-day storyline, just a steady build to an explosive ending. Still, it does have momentum (I read it in one afternoon, aided by the audiobook).
I think the chapters set in the past are the ones that earned this book its NBA nomination; Emerson really explores a lot in these sections about home and community, childhood trauma, an absent mother, and how we can escape our ghosts (literally and metaphorically) while still carrying our loved ones with us — especially using photography as a way to do both.
One last thing to note: Be aware that the opening chapter of this book has some pretty lengthy, graphic descriptions of pieces of a dead body scattered all over the ground. It was a notable opening, but kind of a lot.
Anyway, if you’re curious about this one, I think it’s worth picking up just to challenge your notion of genre and look for the things the NBA judges found. It’s a quick read regardless!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Racism, and Alcohol