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sophee_568's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
What I liked:
• the characters - The main character is a 35yr old Indigenous woman named Kari James. She is a self-assured, confident, assertive character, which I liked. She doesn't have a partner, doesn't want kids and isn't villanized because of it. Her sidekick is her cousin Debby, who is the exact opposite of Kari. They have a wonderful relationship, and quite the history together. Debby's husband Jack is often present in the story too. The trio have a complex, detailed, and strained relationship; it was my favorite part of the story. In the beginning, it is shown that Jack has an alcohol problem which always leads to trouble both for Debby and Kari. He is manipulative - always trying to prevent Debby from spending time with Kari, and saying she is abandoning him because of Kari. With the progression of the story, we get more information on Debby and Jack's marriage. At first I thought Kari was putting too much blame on Jack but he really is an ass. Debby seems in denial about the whole situation, which was frustrating to read. Kari and Debby often argue about Jack. While I do think Kari is right about some things, she does need to stop being so harsh on Debby. Debby is a responsible adult, and knows how to take care of herself.
Among other relationships, the one Kari has with her father is also worth mentioning. Apparently, Kari's mother abandoned her and her husband when Kari was 2 days old. She has been missing ever since. Many years after her disappearance, Kari's dad gets drunk, crashes the car, and is left with severe brain damage. That means the roles are reversed and teenage Kari has to take care of her father, which leads to a whole new set of issues for Kari. We get glimpses of what Kari's teenage years were like - filled with alcohol and different drugs, and we meet her then best friend Jaime. Their relationship is a minor aspect of the story but it left great consequences on Kari's life.
One more thing is that the MC is a horror fan and a metalhead, which is rad. Kari even reads the Shining, and visits the hotel from the movie. She is such a cool character.
• the story & the culture: the premise is that Debby finds an old bracelet that belonged to Kari's mother Cecilia, and that sets off a chain of events which lead Kari to find out more about what happened to her mother. Cecilia is also Indigenous, just like her mother and grandmother, which is crucial to the story. After touching the bracelet Kari gets a vision of her mother, who lookes all bloody and sad. Those visions continue bothering Kari to the point of her going to talk to her aunt Squeaker about it. Her aunt, being a very spiritual woman, tells Kari she needs to find out what happened to Cecilia, in order her ghost to move on. On her journey to find the truth Kari realizes something is following her, and that something smells of rotten flesh. Kari gets a hint from her mum about that thing haunting her; it is the Lofa. According to the native-languages.org, the Lofa is an ogre like creature from Chickasaw folklore, and some legends say it has a tendency to abduct Chickasaw women. This is an important puzzle piece for the story's resolution. I will not spoil anything but I must say the whole ending left a bad taste in my mouth. The story has lots of elements of Indigenous culture. There is a lot of talk about different tribes, their histories and places of origin. That was a cool aspect to the story because firstly - I have never read a story that features an Indigenous MC, and secondly, I know nothing about that part of American history (except the whole cowboys vs. Indians clichè). I love how different parts of Indigenous culture were interwoven in the story, and how they made all the clues from Kari's visions fall into place.
What I didn't like:
•the writing: The writing feels crude in a way. It is straightforward with no romanticising of anything that happens. No pretty sentences or fancy descriptions. In my head I keep comparing this book to Our wives under the sea (both are 4 stars), and their writing styles are complete opposites. Kari's voice is also harsh, which suits her personality but at times it was annoying. She says 'shit' a lot, and it gets tiring. The writing is not bad, it just didn't suit me.
Slight spoiler
One of my fav quotes was: "At the top, I'd walked around a little, fed the chipmunks, thought more about whether I was insane, and If my father killed my mother - and then I bought a T-shirt." After reading that my mind immediately went: #JustGirlyThings. It was funny to me.
•the horror aspect (could also be spoilery): Hm, this is going to be hard to explain. In the first few chapters, I had a feeling this was going to be a spooky book, like I would legitimately be scared. The visions were proper scary, and they gave me goosebumps. Eventually, when Kari starts unraveling the mystery, the visions aren't scary anymore. The meaning of them completely shifts and it's not the same. The Lofa continues to lurk around Kari but it's clear that it is a metaphor. I do understand the mystery has to be solved, the story rounded up, and the ghost isn't sinister after all but that meant the spookiness level dropped. What I wanted was for that threat, or fear, to persist for a little longer.
Summa summarum: great debut novel, would reread, and will read future works.
• the characters - The main character is a 35yr old Indigenous woman named Kari James. She is a self-assured, confident, assertive character, which I liked. She doesn't have a partner, doesn't want kids and isn't villanized because of it. Her sidekick is her cousin Debby, who is the exact opposite of Kari. They have a wonderful relationship, and quite the history together. Debby's husband Jack is often present in the story too. The trio have a complex, detailed, and strained relationship; it was my favorite part of the story. In the beginning, it is shown that Jack has an alcohol problem which always leads to trouble both for Debby and Kari. He is manipulative - always trying to prevent Debby from spending time with Kari, and saying she is abandoning him because of Kari. With the progression of the story, we get more information on Debby and Jack's marriage. At first I thought Kari was putting too much blame on Jack but he really is an ass. Debby seems in denial about the whole situation, which was frustrating to read. Kari and Debby often argue about Jack. While I do think Kari is right about some things, she does need to stop being so harsh on Debby. Debby is a responsible adult, and knows how to take care of herself.
Among other relationships, the one Kari has with her father is also worth mentioning. Apparently, Kari's mother abandoned her and her husband when Kari was 2 days old. She has been missing ever since. Many years after her disappearance, Kari's dad gets drunk, crashes the car, and is left with severe brain damage. That means the roles are reversed and teenage Kari has to take care of her father, which leads to a whole new set of issues for Kari. We get glimpses of what Kari's teenage years were like - filled with alcohol and different drugs, and we meet her then best friend Jaime. Their relationship is a minor aspect of the story but it left great consequences on Kari's life.
One more thing is that the MC is a horror fan and a metalhead, which is rad. Kari even reads the Shining, and visits the hotel from the movie. She is such a cool character.
• the story & the culture: the premise is that Debby finds an old bracelet that belonged to Kari's mother Cecilia, and that sets off a chain of events which lead Kari to find out more about what happened to her mother. Cecilia is also Indigenous, just like her mother and grandmother, which is crucial to the story. After touching the bracelet Kari gets a vision of her mother, who lookes all bloody and sad. Those visions continue bothering Kari to the point of her going to talk to her aunt Squeaker about it. Her aunt, being a very spiritual woman, tells Kari she needs to find out what happened to Cecilia, in order her ghost to move on. On her journey to find the truth Kari realizes something is following her, and that something smells of rotten flesh. Kari gets a hint from her mum about that thing haunting her; it is the Lofa. According to the native-languages.org, the Lofa is an ogre like creature from Chickasaw folklore, and some legends say it has a tendency to abduct Chickasaw women. This is an important puzzle piece for the story's resolution. I will not spoil anything but I must say the whole ending left a bad taste in my mouth. The story has lots of elements of Indigenous culture. There is a lot of talk about different tribes, their histories and places of origin. That was a cool aspect to the story because firstly - I have never read a story that features an Indigenous MC, and secondly, I know nothing about that part of American history (except the whole cowboys vs. Indians clichè). I love how different parts of Indigenous culture were interwoven in the story, and how they made all the clues from Kari's visions fall into place.
What I didn't like:
•the writing: The writing feels crude in a way. It is straightforward with no romanticising of anything that happens. No pretty sentences or fancy descriptions. In my head I keep comparing this book to Our wives under the sea (both are 4 stars), and their writing styles are complete opposites. Kari's voice is also harsh, which suits her personality but at times it was annoying. She says 'shit' a lot, and it gets tiring. The writing is not bad, it just didn't suit me.
Slight spoiler
One of my fav quotes was: "At the top, I'd walked around a little, fed the chipmunks, thought more about whether I was insane, and If my father killed my mother - and then I bought a T-shirt." After reading that my mind immediately went: #JustGirlyThings. It was funny to me.
•the horror aspect (could also be spoilery): Hm, this is going to be hard to explain. In the first few chapters, I had a feeling this was going to be a spooky book, like I would legitimately be scared. The visions were proper scary, and they gave me goosebumps. Eventually, when Kari starts unraveling the mystery, the visions aren't scary anymore. The meaning of them completely shifts and it's not the same. The Lofa continues to lurk around Kari but it's clear that it is a metaphor. I do understand the mystery has to be solved, the story rounded up, and the ghost isn't sinister after all but that meant the spookiness level dropped. What I wanted was for that threat, or fear, to persist for a little longer.
Summa summarum: great debut novel, would reread, and will read future works.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Terminal illness, Drug use, Gun violence, and Death of parent
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