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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
This is a beautifully told story with exquisite, evocative prose. I loved the slow burn and truly had no idea what direction the book was moving in until the very end. I appreciated that mysterious element. The gothic vibes are immaculate. I'd consider this a solid queer Halloween read.
Heavy ending spoilers:The death at the very end was a fascinating twist. Not sure how I feel about that part. Separately, I had been hoping for the ending to be more explicit, particularly given how vague and emotionally-focused the rest of the story was. That is to say, I wanted a more grounded ending. I admit this is just a preference. But I do wish we had even gotten a glimpse of what the grey dog was to Ada specifically. Even if it was pure metaphor. You know? That's my main ending gripe.
Heavy ending spoilers:
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
a spooky, gothic tale with a hint of madness. this one moved very slow, however, and while ada was a very compelling narrator, it sometimes felt like there were too many secondary characters to keep track of with their corresponding arcs, and therefore got a bit muddled. the description and ambience were top-notch, though.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I checked this out from Queer Liberation Library on a whim because it was in a spooky Halloween category. The best way I can describe it is sapphic feminist horror with a historical setting, a feral twist, and a ton of literary allusions. The first 3/4 of this was exactly what I was expecting and hoping for, then the ending turned the entire premise on its head. It even had me reevaluating why I'm only drawn to horror that's gendered in a particular way.
If you're thinking of reading this one, I'd definitely recommend knowing as little as possible going in. Barring looking up CWs of course!
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"Is it horrible when a cat drops a mouse at its mistress' feet? Is it horrible when a hound drags in a rabbit for its master?"
Good books can do more than one thing at once. They can scare you. They can transport you to a specific place and time. They can teach you. They can evoke all of the feelings: from anger to sadness to empathy to nostalgia. They can do all of these things and much more. Grey Dog is a good book.
The first half of the book strongly evoked L.M. Montgomery; the setting, the characters, the way the town of Lowry Bridge becomes a character in and of itself with its people drifting in and out of focus but always in the background silently judging anything new or different happening within the borders of the town. Gish so perfectly captured the feeling of reading Montgomery, while also transforming that feeling with a modern voice that turned things on their head, and I was there for it.
This read is a slow burn. It slowly builds tension and suspense throughout so that you, as the reader, are not slogging through any one genre but instead find yourself immersed in many genres all at once. I found that this kind of reading experience kept me on my toes throughout, and never let me completely define or settle on what I was reading. Is this a horror novel? Yes. Is this literary fiction? Also, yes. Is this also a powerful feminist work with queer themes? Hell yeah. As I said, a good book can do more than one thing at once.
The less you know going into this novel the better; however, do go into this reading experience open-minded and with the expectation that your expectations will be subverted, with the understanding that this is a genre-defying work that transforms from page to page and refuses to be defined or limited by the categories we want to stick things in. And understand also that you will feel all of the feels towards the main character, Ada. She is a complex creature, at times a prisoner of her time period, of her womanhood, of her own mind, and at times a glorious representation of rage, of freedom, and of all the things we could be if we only set aside the societal expectations that so often define us as women.
The writing in Grey Dog is beautiful, accessible and modern, while also transportive to a time and place that feels familiar and cozy…. A feeling that will be definitely be changed for you as you travel along on Ada’s journey. The writing is also powerfully evocative; I could picture everything so well, and I personally love that type of writing… in fact, it’s why I read.
This is Gish’s debut novel and that excites me, because I know this is just a glimpse into what we will get from this author, and I personally will be on the lookout for more.
Thanks to NetGalley and ECW Press for the digital ARC. All opinions are my own.
The first half of the book strongly evoked L.M. Montgomery; the setting, the characters, the way the town of Lowry Bridge becomes a character in and of itself with its people drifting in and out of focus but always in the background silently judging anything new or different happening within the borders of the town. Gish so perfectly captured the feeling of reading Montgomery, while also transforming that feeling with a modern voice that turned things on their head, and I was there for it.
This read is a slow burn. It slowly builds tension and suspense throughout so that you, as the reader, are not slogging through any one genre but instead find yourself immersed in many genres all at once. I found that this kind of reading experience kept me on my toes throughout, and never let me completely define or settle on what I was reading. Is this a horror novel? Yes. Is this literary fiction? Also, yes. Is this also a powerful feminist work with queer themes? Hell yeah. As I said, a good book can do more than one thing at once.
The less you know going into this novel the better; however, do go into this reading experience open-minded and with the expectation that your expectations will be subverted, with the understanding that this is a genre-defying work that transforms from page to page and refuses to be defined or limited by the categories we want to stick things in. And understand also that you will feel all of the feels towards the main character, Ada. She is a complex creature, at times a prisoner of her time period, of her womanhood, of her own mind, and at times a glorious representation of rage, of freedom, and of all the things we could be if we only set aside the societal expectations that so often define us as women.
The writing in Grey Dog is beautiful, accessible and modern, while also transportive to a time and place that feels familiar and cozy…. A feeling that will be definitely be changed for you as you travel along on Ada’s journey. The writing is also powerfully evocative; I could picture everything so well, and I personally love that type of writing… in fact, it’s why I read.
This is Gish’s debut novel and that excites me, because I know this is just a glimpse into what we will get from this author, and I personally will be on the lookout for more.
Thanks to NetGalley and ECW Press for the digital ARC. All opinions are my own.