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geraiumplant's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
amandatacklestbr's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
miriammm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
cats_of_horror's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.5
kei_anne's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
destinyr's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Death
Moderate: Sexual assault and Domestic abuse
takecoverbooksptbo's review against another edition
4.0
A meditation on family trauma, sexual abuse, mental health, and the doldrums of living in Southwestern Ontario, all wrapped in a psycho-horror package. While the book loses its focus near the end, the overall effect is one of lingering discomfort.
Fave Moments:
- Part 1's flashback structure was an emotional gut-punch
- Whenever anyone goes into the basement, the tension and atmosphere is so oppressive. Stephen King could take some notes on building terrifying settings from McKeen.
- The characters in this book feel very lived-in, especially for a horror novel
- The horror set pieces, when they get going, are much more gruesome than I thought they'd be. However, I'm on the fence about how effective they are overall. I would much rather have hit on some emotional truth than the grand guignol violence that permeates the third act.
Fave Moments:
- Part 1's flashback structure was an emotional gut-punch
- Whenever anyone goes into the basement, the tension and atmosphere is so oppressive. Stephen King could take some notes on building terrifying settings from McKeen.
- The characters in this book feel very lived-in, especially for a horror novel
- The horror set pieces, when they get going, are much more gruesome than I thought they'd be. However, I'm on the fence about how effective they are overall. I would much rather have hit on some emotional truth than the grand guignol violence that permeates the third act.
misha_ali's review against another edition
5.0
I'll need to read this at least once more to pick up on everything McKeen has incorporated in this. You can tell someone who taught literature for a while wrote this, and I mean that in the best possible way. The three part structure with completely different POV characters and completely separate events was a really interesting approach to slow, creeping horror, and I really enjoyed this book.
itisnele's review against another edition
challenging
dark
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0