Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - The Cherry Robbers

I’ve seen some reviews contest the practice of labelling this book as a gothic novel and I don’t agree. It’s not a traditional gothic tale in the sense that the setting is not mid 19th-century with all of the Gothic Revival architecture, but despite it’s more modern take on the genre with it being set in 50s Illinois, it’s still gothic in nature. There’s stronger horror elements paired alongside paranormal aspects, but at its core, this does appear to be historical gothic fiction.

The writing is very atmospheric. It’s gloomy and melancholic, with a main character that’s ill fitting in the world she finds herself in and a mother figure whose misanthropy is steeped in what is either curse or delusion and it’s captivating. The suspense is strong and it helps in traversing the rather slow pace of the novel. I really enjoyed the way that Sarai Walker set the scenes of each chapter and the subdivision of the parts within. However, I think a lot of the foreshadowing was a bit too heavy-handed and in your face as the reader; it reinforced the atmosphere of the story, but also made it seem like the suspense was overly dramatic at times.

There’s also a bit of a misconception that this is more of a mystery novel. Which I can understand, but upon finishing this story, ambiguity is the name of the game and the mystery surrounding the Chapel family is not the focus of the novel. There are no answers given to the reader upon finishing this tale because there are no real questions with which the Chapel curse is of importance. The whys and why nots behind the curse are not addressed, it simply exists and so we instead explore how the Chapel sisters grapple with the curse.

The characters are definitely distinct but what you get as a reader from them is little; they’re not very open to Iris as our narrator and so we don’t get to really see what makes them tick. Iris is an interesting lead character because her interpretation of the world around her and her family is coloured by the fact that she could be an unreliable narrator. I could never be sure that what she was saying about her past was entirely truthful, whether that’s because she was addled in the head like her mother or because of the paranormal events that occur throughout the story.

I will say that I think the ending makes the tale feel rather unfinished. The ending itself is not the problem, I actually think the abruptness and the finality of it works well, but the execution feels a bit muddled. I wanted more of a punch to send me off at the end, more of a tighter KO than the jumbled flurry of things happening that all culminated to a single hanging dash.

The pacing was also slow, and it really started to feel that way by Calla and Daphne’s almost joint demise. Then Zelie just became an annoyance to deal with. It felt too long in that there were almost too many paired sisters (we could’ve stopped at 5 I think because there was also Belinda to contend with), and yet not long enough with respect to how much is packed in that last chapter and glossed over. Sylvia Wren didn’t get enough page time for me in lieu of Iris Chapel’s slow moving story because the synopsis seemed to advertise that we’d get to know this alias a little more than we actually get to.

I think one of the strongest aspects of the novel are the themes that are tackled, especially those of sexuality, misogyny and motherhood. The way that motherhood specifically was explored through Belinda, a troubled mother who never wanted children or marriage, and the impact her actions had on her children, really showcased how poorly women have been treated throughout time and how stifled and powerless their situations often were, even in the context of extreme wealth. The madwomen trope was alive and kicking in this story, and I truly loved how Sarai Walker constructed such a juxtaposition between marriage and weddings (which are normally displayed as positive and happy events) with this idea of incarceration and institutionalization, in that the Chapel girls literally attributed their family home to that of a wedding cake.

All in all, though I didn’t fall in love with this read, I don’t regret picking it up and trying it, and so if you’re in the mood for a gothic novel with strong feminist themes and strange unsettling deaths, this may just fit the bill.

Content Warnings

bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Thank you to Netgalley and Mariner for the eARC of The Cherry Robbers by Sarai Walker!

The characters were each complex, fully developed to stand on their own. The writing was excellent and held my attention throughout the novel. The story switches between the present and the 1950s through Iris’ flashbacks. I enjoyed the flashbacks the most but the present POV was also interesting, especially in the end!

I’m a scaredy cat when it comes to scary movies so this book was the best parts of scary movies for me, particularly ghost/haunting based films. It takes the great plot/storyline and ghostly vibes without any of the jump scares 👻

Lately I’ve been reading my kindle during workouts and have started listening to music as well to drown out the EDM gym music. I really like finding instrumental playlists that fit the type of book I’m reading! I’ve found a dark mystery music playlist that made the book feel slightly spookier and added to my reading experience of it.

Great ending! Loved finding out that my hunch was right about one of the characters and their story being loosely inspired by the legend of Sarah Winchester. I became attached to the Chapel sisters and felt sympathy for Iris, definitely a story that will stay with me for awhile!

You’ll enjoy Cherry Robbers if you like:

🌸Sarah Winchester’s life and legend

🌸gothic ghost stories

🌸healing generational trauma

🌸difficult family relationships

🌸strong women

🌸you like scary movies for the plot

TW/CW: pregnancy, death, suicide attempt, death of sibling, marital rape (brief mentions), grief, blood, vomit, suicide, sexual content, body shaming (brief), forced institutionalization, gun violence, childhood trauma, panic/anxiety disorder (brief)

Content Warnings

qi_'s review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

didn't expect to like this as much since it look a second to get into the plot but once the ball was rolling, i was hooked. the plot was so unique and i loved how sarai walker structured the uncovering of each detail (it felt like she was spreading out a bit rather than just dumping it)

it grapples with so many relevant themes that interest me (motherhood, feminism, relationships, grief, etc.) in an accessible and natural way. the prose was well written and it really able to shine once in the latter part of the book with the descriptions of art.

my one gripe was that there were some lags in the story that meandered too long between impactful plot points, in my opinion. especially in in the last section of the book. the pacing slowed way down and the weight of the events beforehand kind of fizzled out (if that makes sense).

other than that really enjoyed the story and thank you for the arc !

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