Reviews

Two things before I get into my thoughts on the book itself. Firstly, I do want to say that I feel like this book was kind of shallow in its portrayal of Orlando, a Cuban boy who is supposed to be the protagonist’s best friend (but barely gets any screentime), and it comes across as tokenizing or box-checking instead of an actual effort to represent Cuban people well or accurately. The white lady narrating the audiobook putting on the particular accent she did for Orlando’s dialogue only made it seem worse, I’m afraid. Second thing: I understand why people call this Appalachian—it deals a lot with Appalachian folk songs, doesn’t frequently mention location, and lots of people see Appalachia and the rural south as synonymous—but it’s worth noting that this takes place in Florida, so while this is a rural American south story, to call it an Appalachian book isn’t entirely accurate. Also, worth noting: the audiobook narrator says Appalachia wrong (if you’re confused about how to say Appalachia, think “apple atcha”).

Now, those things aside, I found this book to be an interesting examination of addiction and cycles of trauma through a Southern folk magicky sort of lense. I also found the usage of some Southern Gothic elements in a YA sort of reskin really interesting; the book does not “feel” Southern Gothic, and I wouldn’t really class it as that genre, but it does a good job of incorporating elements such as the representation of society through individuals through the setting and complex Southern family dynamics, unearthing family secrets and trauma to put them to rest once and for all. I’m curious to see where the author’s style developed from this debut and if it continues in that trajectory or not.

Also, spoilers ahead, but for anyone interested in reading this but the love triangle resolution is important to the decision, the protagonist, Shady (who is bisexual), does end up with

the boy and the sapphic love interest ends up with a different girl (their sexualities are not specified but at least one of them is implied to be a lesbian)

Content Warnings