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3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
See this review and others here: https://www.shelfstalker.net/blog/unbury-carol-josh-malerman
I didn’t know what I was getting into when I started reading this book!
Malerman—always inventive—has come up with a creepy, compelling, and genuinely unique tale of betrayal, adventure, and death.
Carol has died many times—but in truth she doesn’t really die, she just has a strange condition where she falls into a coma due to stressful conditions and appears to be dead for several days. She keeps her condition a secret except for a few people she is close to, but what happens when one of the people she trusts wants her dead?
We all learned to love Malerman when he blew our minds with [b:Bird Box|18498558|Bird Box|Josh Malerman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1383949470s/18498558.jpg|26186624]—still one of the most truly scary and original horror novels I’ve ever read. He has a very specific, visceral style of writing that draws in the reader so they can’t look away. I was not as big of a fan of Black Mad Wheel, but he is such an interesting voice, I am always excited to see he has a new book coming out.
And this unique voice isn’t lost in his newest novel. The book is styled as a Western and feels very much like it is set in a different time and place from the way the characters speak and interact with the world around them, to the structure of story itself.
The reader switches between a few different characters, seeing all the sides of the story almost like a movie. We see Carol’s perspective—the creepiest and my favorite—as she describes what she can see and hear from her coma and what might be lurking with her in that tenuous spot between life and death. We see Carol’s husband, Dwight, who has a scheme all his own. We see Carol’s old flame, James Moxie, who became an infamous outlaw and now is the only other person who knows her secret. We see another trailrider, the villainous and insane Smoke, who hunts Moxie, and is out to cause whatever chaos he can.
The book threw me a bit when I first started it because the voice is fairly stylistic, but once I got a handle on the lilt of the dialogue and turn of phrase, I really got into it. There are no slow points in this story since it is constantly throwing the reader back and forth between the minds of all the characters and their specific goals, whether their intentions be nefarious or righteous.
Though the style is definitely different, you can’t argue with a great plot! I loved the first chapter set at the funeral and the way all the characters were introduced. I loved the way they fit into Western stock characters (retired outlaw, damsel in distress) but as the book progressed, busted through those stereotypes too.
I would have loved to see more of Howltown (what Carol calls the place where she goes when she is in a coma) and more of her perspective. The book is a little low on women’s perspectives and Carol, her maid Farrah, and her mom, Hattie, were all such great characters. The latter two felt especially underused to me.
Overall, I loved the blended genre that Malerman created and was really impressed that this book came from the same guy who wrote his last two books—he is constantly reinventing his own writing and for that versatility alone it is worth seeking his books out.
I read this book as a part of the Night Worms conglomerate and I’d like to thank Del Rey for sending us all review copies of the book!
I didn’t know what I was getting into when I started reading this book!
Malerman—always inventive—has come up with a creepy, compelling, and genuinely unique tale of betrayal, adventure, and death.
Carol has died many times—but in truth she doesn’t really die, she just has a strange condition where she falls into a coma due to stressful conditions and appears to be dead for several days. She keeps her condition a secret except for a few people she is close to, but what happens when one of the people she trusts wants her dead?
We all learned to love Malerman when he blew our minds with [b:Bird Box|18498558|Bird Box|Josh Malerman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1383949470s/18498558.jpg|26186624]—still one of the most truly scary and original horror novels I’ve ever read. He has a very specific, visceral style of writing that draws in the reader so they can’t look away. I was not as big of a fan of Black Mad Wheel, but he is such an interesting voice, I am always excited to see he has a new book coming out.
And this unique voice isn’t lost in his newest novel. The book is styled as a Western and feels very much like it is set in a different time and place from the way the characters speak and interact with the world around them, to the structure of story itself.
The reader switches between a few different characters, seeing all the sides of the story almost like a movie. We see Carol’s perspective—the creepiest and my favorite—as she describes what she can see and hear from her coma and what might be lurking with her in that tenuous spot between life and death. We see Carol’s husband, Dwight, who has a scheme all his own. We see Carol’s old flame, James Moxie, who became an infamous outlaw and now is the only other person who knows her secret. We see another trailrider, the villainous and insane Smoke, who hunts Moxie, and is out to cause whatever chaos he can.
The book threw me a bit when I first started it because the voice is fairly stylistic, but once I got a handle on the lilt of the dialogue and turn of phrase, I really got into it. There are no slow points in this story since it is constantly throwing the reader back and forth between the minds of all the characters and their specific goals, whether their intentions be nefarious or righteous.
Though the style is definitely different, you can’t argue with a great plot! I loved the first chapter set at the funeral and the way all the characters were introduced. I loved the way they fit into Western stock characters (retired outlaw, damsel in distress) but as the book progressed, busted through those stereotypes too.
I would have loved to see more of Howltown (what Carol calls the place where she goes when she is in a coma) and more of her perspective. The book is a little low on women’s perspectives and Carol, her maid Farrah, and her mom, Hattie, were all such great characters. The latter two felt especially underused to me.
Overall, I loved the blended genre that Malerman created and was really impressed that this book came from the same guy who wrote his last two books—he is constantly reinventing his own writing and for that versatility alone it is worth seeking his books out.
I read this book as a part of the Night Worms conglomerate and I’d like to thank Del Rey for sending us all review copies of the book!
Carol has an unusual affliction. She randomly falls into a coma so deep that neither her heartbeat nor her breathing can be detected. She appears to be dead and calls this state Howltown. Only two people know about Howltown – her best friend, John Bowie, and her husband, Dwight. Dwight married Carol for her money and he wants to get rid of Carol and have her money all to himself. When John Bowie dies, he sees his opportunity. Now he is the only one who knows about Carol’s affliction. The next time Carol goes to Howltown, he will tell everyone she died. His plan is fool-proof as long as he gets her buried before she wakes up.
Unbury Carol felt a bit like a Christopher Moore or Tom Robbins book to me. I think it was because of the characters. They felt like characters from a Western film noir. (Is that a thing?) They were vividly drawn and almost cartoonish but in a serious way.
Although this book had good characters, I didn’t find the plot all that compelling. It’s billed as a thriller, which to me means twists and turns that make it so I can’t put the book down. This wasn’t the case with Unbury Carol. There was the suspense of whether or not Carol would be saved from her fate but it just didn’t grab me.
I’m afraid that author has fallen victim to the dreaded sophomore slump. I loved his debut Bird Box, which made not loving this book that much worse. I’ll give him another chance whenever he releases another book. Fingers crossed!
Unbury Carol felt a bit like a Christopher Moore or Tom Robbins book to me. I think it was because of the characters. They felt like characters from a Western film noir. (Is that a thing?) They were vividly drawn and almost cartoonish but in a serious way.
Although this book had good characters, I didn’t find the plot all that compelling. It’s billed as a thriller, which to me means twists and turns that make it so I can’t put the book down. This wasn’t the case with Unbury Carol. There was the suspense of whether or not Carol would be saved from her fate but it just didn’t grab me.
I’m afraid that author has fallen victim to the dreaded sophomore slump. I loved his debut Bird Box, which made not loving this book that much worse. I’ll give him another chance whenever he releases another book. Fingers crossed!
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Out of all of the genres I'm likely to pick up on a given day, westerns are probably at the bottom of my list. But the fantasy aspect of this story intrigued me. I put off picking this book up for a long while, mainly due to the fact that it was written by the same author who wrote Booktube darling [b:Bird Box|18498558|Bird Box (Bird Box, #1)|Josh Malerman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1383949470l/18498558._SY75_.jpg|26186624], which I wasn't impressed with. But the premise of the story drew me in and I decided to pick it up, despite the relatively low rating.
I don't know how other readers consumed this book but I listened to it on audio and hearing the narrator read it with a western twang accent really boosted the book if I had otherwise read it. The premise of the book interested me the most. I barely got to know Carol before she ended up visiting Howltown, her nickname for her coma state. Even though the book was supposed to be about her, it was more about her marriage to villainous Dwight, her former lover and outlaw, Moxie, and Smoke, the man Dwight hired to prevent Moxie from getting to Carol to save her before she was buried.
It would take moving mountains to watch a western but something about this adventure story with the forces of good versus evil duking it out had me engrossed. I would highly recommend this book, especially listening to the audio version.
I don't know how other readers consumed this book but I listened to it on audio and hearing the narrator read it with a western twang accent really boosted the book if I had otherwise read it. The premise of the book interested me the most. I barely got to know Carol before she ended up visiting Howltown, her nickname for her coma state. Even though the book was supposed to be about her, it was more about her marriage to villainous Dwight, her former lover and outlaw, Moxie, and Smoke, the man Dwight hired to prevent Moxie from getting to Carol to save her before she was buried.
It would take moving mountains to watch a western but something about this adventure story with the forces of good versus evil duking it out had me engrossed. I would highly recommend this book, especially listening to the audio version.
I was a big fan of Bird Box, but unfortunately, I could not get into this novel. It's a Western meets a supernatural novel. Carol has an affliction where she slips into a coma that resembles death. One day when the illness strikes, her husband decides he will pretend she's dead and move on from her. Will he bury her? Yes, yet somehow he isn't willing to actually kill her. Her maid somehow manages to get word to her former lover, an outlaw, and the man sets off to avenge her. Men get to decide her fate while she spends entire chapters just trying to move in her coma. With a cleverer hand, it could be a commentary on gender norms in history and relationships. Instead it just comes across as repetitive and, frankly, boring.
A western with some creepy horror elements? I liked parts of this book but there were a lot of story lines, which at times detracted from the overall story.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lyrical, spooky, but a little too repetitive. Good story.