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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
Whyyyy haven't more people read this???
This is my exact perfect kind of horror: Meaty, character-driven, fantastical yet chilling or creepy stories but without the bleak or nihilistic rush some people seem to get when all the characters end up dead—or worse—at the end of a book. No coincidence, methinks, that Tananarive Due namedrops two excellent Stephen King books in here*, because her writing style reminds me a lot of his. Both authors really know how to immerse you in a long story, and give you the payoff at the end you've been craving. With Due, we get the added bonus of getting that story from the perspective of a Black woman.
*Pet Sematary and The Stand.
The novel is told across three timelines: First in 1929, when Angela's grandmother Marie Toussaint earns her reputation as a healer, cementing the name of her house in small-town Sacajawea, Washington as "The Good House" (formerly it was The Goode House, named after its owner Elijah Goode's family). The book opens with a teaser of an incident that will have far-reaching consequences for the town. Then, in 2001, Angela and her fifteen-year old son Corey—along with Tariq, the husband she has been separated from for four years, but now they're trying to make things work again—are in town for the summer much to semi-troubled teenager Corey's dismay. At a party celebrating the 4th of July, which many people from the small town are invited to, Corey dies of a gunshot wound—no one is quite sure whether it was suicide. And finally, two years after Corey's death, Angela is at last ready to return to Sacajawea to put her memories to rest and to decide whether or not to sell the house. Only, things start happening.
The story is mostly told from Angela's point of view, but we also get a lot from Corey back in 2001 as we see the events unfold that led up to his death. We also get written record of Marie's life in the form of excerpts from a book she wrote chronicling her life and instructing her descendants in the practices of Vodun. Marie's sections were absolutely fascinating to me, but the real payoff comes the longer you spend in Angela and Corey's POVs. Nisi Shawl wrote that in this book "[Due] tackles the intersection—the collision, really—between violence and young black manhood" (spoilers in that article, by the way), and that feels right. But the book tackles a lot more than that, as well as just being a straight-up satisfying story. Due's characters aren't "likable characters," but flawed, traumatized, and emotionally complex. Perfect fodder for a horror story.
This book will not leave my head. I want to read more books from Tananarive Due. I have now pre-ordered a copy of her newest book, The Reformatory. I want to read The Between. I can feel a little bit of obsession coming on. Sorry in advance?
#Summerween2023
This is my exact perfect kind of horror: Meaty, character-driven, fantastical yet chilling or creepy stories but without the bleak or nihilistic rush some people seem to get when all the characters end up dead—or worse—at the end of a book. No coincidence, methinks, that Tananarive Due namedrops two excellent Stephen King books in here*, because her writing style reminds me a lot of his. Both authors really know how to immerse you in a long story, and give you the payoff at the end you've been craving. With Due, we get the added bonus of getting that story from the perspective of a Black woman.
*Pet Sematary and The Stand.
The novel is told across three timelines: First in 1929, when Angela's grandmother Marie Toussaint earns her reputation as a healer, cementing the name of her house in small-town Sacajawea, Washington as "The Good House" (formerly it was The Goode House, named after its owner Elijah Goode's family). The book opens with a teaser of an incident that will have far-reaching consequences for the town. Then, in 2001, Angela and her fifteen-year old son Corey—along with Tariq, the husband she has been separated from for four years, but now they're trying to make things work again—are in town for the summer much to semi-troubled teenager Corey's dismay. At a party celebrating the 4th of July, which many people from the small town are invited to, Corey dies of a gunshot wound—no one is quite sure whether it was suicide. And finally, two years after Corey's death, Angela is at last ready to return to Sacajawea to put her memories to rest and to decide whether or not to sell the house. Only, things start happening.
The story is mostly told from Angela's point of view, but we also get a lot from Corey back in 2001 as we see the events unfold that led up to his death. We also get written record of Marie's life in the form of excerpts from a book she wrote chronicling her life and instructing her descendants in the practices of Vodun. Marie's sections were absolutely fascinating to me, but the real payoff comes the longer you spend in Angela and Corey's POVs. Nisi Shawl wrote that in this book "[Due] tackles the intersection—the collision, really—between violence and young black manhood" (spoilers in that article, by the way), and that feels right. But the book tackles a lot more than that, as well as just being a straight-up satisfying story. Due's characters aren't "likable characters," but flawed, traumatized, and emotionally complex. Perfect fodder for a horror story.
This book will not leave my head. I want to read more books from Tananarive Due. I have now pre-ordered a copy of her newest book, The Reformatory. I want to read The Between. I can feel a little bit of obsession coming on. Sorry in advance?
#Summerween2023
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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:
Complicated
I liked the foiling of different styles of mothering in this book. I enjoyed that there were breadcrumbs dropped all along that came together in the ending for a payoff not only in plot, but also in understanding.
I thought there were musings here on racism both in Corey’s internal exploration, but also maybe in the idea ofdemonic possession being a parallel for racism (physical infection by a demon vs. mental infection by evil within a culture) . I thought all of that could have been fleshed out more fully.
I loved the ending but based on the Bookclub I just attended I am in the small minority on that issue.
I’m knocking off a bit from my initial rating, though, as all 14 people in book club felt we had an imperfect understanding of the plot even after we discussed. Also, this meandered a bit and needed a tighter edit!
I’ve heard it reads like a first novel in comparison to Due’s more refined recent works.
I thought there were musings here on racism both in Corey’s internal exploration, but also maybe in the idea of
I loved the ending but based on the Bookclub I just attended I am in the small minority on that issue.
I’m knocking off a bit from my initial rating, though, as all 14 people in book club felt we had an imperfect understanding of the plot even after we discussed. Also, this meandered a bit and needed a tighter edit!
I’ve heard it reads like a first novel in comparison to Due’s more refined recent works.
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Disappointing. Read more like a movie than a book. Couldn't suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy it. A lot of typos in my copy which added to the sloppiness of the book for me. Not sure I'll be giving this author another try.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence
Loved this book enough to write my first Goodreads review. This is some of the best storytelling and character development I’ve ever read. Can we get Jordan Peele to turn this book into the best American Horror Story season please?
I did not like the ending but understood the writer’s intentions when I read the Acknowledgments. Also, that’s just, like, my opinion, man.
I did not like the ending but understood the writer’s intentions when I read the Acknowledgments. Also, that’s just, like, my opinion, man.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I started reading this book during my last semester of college, so it took me way too long to finish, but if I had the time I probably would have listened to it all in 2 days. This book was so good! Sad, spooky, even a little happy, I'm honestly bummed it came out in 2003 and I only heard of it recently. Last October I read a list of horror novels by Black authors, and this book stood out to me, so as soon as I was able to, I got it. If you like horror, especially folk horror, read this book!
Also, I listened to the audiobook and the narrator, Robin Miles, was excellent.
Mild content warning:
Also, I listened to the audiobook and the narrator, Robin Miles, was excellent.
Mild content warning: