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"If you could go back to a previous era, what era would that be?"
No thank you, I am good.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault
Moderate: Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Gaslighting
Kennedy's book has shades of Shirley Jackson and is set in a house that feels like Daphne du Maurier's Manderley, if it were scaled down to match middle-class budgets and midcentury American sensibilities.
The story follows Mrs. Loretta Davenport, wife of Mr. Peter Davenport, a Pentecostal minister and professor at a nearby Bible college. She is the doting mother to two charming children and, while she isn't a perfect June Cleaver housewife, she tries to be. She tries to WANT to be.
After a bout of illness, Loretta is struck by a dark vision that seems to be showing her glimpses of what happened to a local girl who recently went missing
She thinks her new abilities may be a gift from God. Peter thinks they're the work of the Devil
Loretta's growing commitment to exploring her gifts and learning what happened to the missing girl drives a wedge between her and Peter and brings her to the office of Dr. Curtis Hansen, parapsychologist, as she gets swept up in her search to find the truth about the dark secrets buried in her Missouri town
As is the case in a lot of historical horror, there are ghosts, but the ghosts aren't the thing that brings the terror
Instead, I was horrified by the state of 1950s mental healthcare, the patriarchal oppression in their religious community, and the prison that was midcentury American marriage
Loretta's legal personhood, and that of nearly every other female character in the book, is constrained by the whims of her husband, and a selfish or deceitful husband can be a truly cruel jailer
I loved every single thing about this book, but make no mistake: it was an emotional wrecking ball
It deals with some deeply sensitive subject matter, so proceed with caution if SA, DV, pregnancy/loss, misogyny, or institutionalization are sensitive subjects for you
I personally had to set the book aside a few times, when my own life stresses made the fictional abuses within the book feel too big. But it was so worth it to pick it back up. Loretta will stick with me for a long time, and this book has landed on my list of great works of modern American gothic.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Car accident, Death of parent
Moderate: Child death, Fatphobia, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Pregnancy
Minor: Blood
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma
Moderate: Rape, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder
Minor: Child death, Racism, Vomit, Stalking, Abortion, Pregnancy
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Car accident, Abortion, Murder, Gaslighting
Moderate: Cursing, Gore, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Stalking
Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Vomit
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Car accident, Abortion
Minor: Infidelity, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Self harm, Sexual violence
Minor: Vomit