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hcumbie's review against another edition
Too gory, too scary for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, and Murder
dtrain3000's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I loved the concept of this book and I enjoyed reading it for quite a while.
I thought the author did a good job weaving the paranormal and mystery elements as well as balancing flashbacks and present day...up to a point.
A little more than halfway through the book, I didn't understand the importance of the flashbacks anymore. It felt more like plot filler. Because of this, I think the present-day arc of the story suffered. The mystery portion/conspiracy feels forced and ends rather abruptly.
While the main character goes through development, the other characters in the book are one-dimensional and not fully fleshed out.
Nevertheless, it was a quick mystery read that was still fun to read. I would warn everyone that there are highly graphic descriptions of crime scenes for anyone who is triggered by that.
I thought the author did a good job weaving the paranormal and mystery elements as well as balancing flashbacks and present day...up to a point.
A little more than halfway through the book, I didn't understand the importance of the flashbacks anymore. It felt more like plot filler. Because of this, I think the present-day arc of the story suffered. The mystery portion/conspiracy feels forced and ends rather abruptly.
While the main character goes through development, the other characters in the book are one-dimensional and not fully fleshed out.
Nevertheless, it was a quick mystery read that was still fun to read. I would warn everyone that there are highly graphic descriptions of crime scenes for anyone who is triggered by that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Murder, and Death
jourdanicus's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I was so into this book I bought a copy of it on audio to supplement my library ebook copy. I wanted to get through it. It hooked me from the premise when I saw a hard copy in a book store, I knew I had to read it, and I'm glad I got to.
The story was propulsive, with believable (if not overly deep) characters and a fairly tight plot. I enjoyed the back and forth timeline. Aspects of Navajo beliefs, culture, and family history/life were woven in to a crime drama which didn't rely too heavily on trope.
I'd recommend to anyone who has a strong stomach for gore, appreciates a "gritty," dry female protagonist, and/or whose guilty pleasure is police procedurals but agrees with ACAB.
Edit/note: read ebook + listened to audiobook
The story was propulsive, with believable (if not overly deep) characters and a fairly tight plot. I enjoyed the back and forth timeline. Aspects of Navajo beliefs, culture, and family history/life were woven in to a crime drama which didn't rely too heavily on trope.
I'd recommend to anyone who has a strong stomach for gore, appreciates a "gritty," dry female protagonist, and/or whose guilty pleasure is police procedurals but agrees with ACAB.
Edit/note: read ebook + listened to audiobook
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Gore, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Medical content, Colonisation, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
autumn_alwaysreadingseason's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5
Rita is a Navajo woman who becomes a forensic photographer even though her people believe that there should be no contact with the dead. To make matters worse, Rita can see and speak to ghosts. Her supernatural ability helps her in her job, but her grandmother and Mr. Bitsilly--a medicine man--plead with her to stop using it for her own wellbeing.
The book opens with a grisly crime scene, as Rita photographs the scattered remains of a young woman--Erma--on a highway. Emerson writes in extraordinary detail, so if you are averse to gore and violence, beware. When Erma realizes that Rita can see her, she starts interrupting her daily life, to the point where Rita is severely affected and other people begin to notice. When she tells the truth, she gets put on administrative leave. Erma's fury and desire to have her case solved only gets stronger though and Rita begins a full-scale investigation in her off time.
I thoroughly enjoyed being with Rita--learning about her introduction to photography, witnessing her relationships with her grandmother and mother, seeing how her ability evolved over time. I didn't care as much about the actual crime and solving it--especially when it was revealed to be a drug cartel story.
The book opens with a grisly crime scene, as Rita photographs the scattered remains of a young woman--Erma--on a highway. Emerson writes in extraordinary detail, so if you are averse to gore and violence, beware. When Erma realizes that Rita can see her, she starts interrupting her daily life, to the point where Rita is severely affected and other people begin to notice. When she tells the truth, she gets put on administrative leave. Erma's fury and desire to have her case solved only gets stronger though and Rita begins a full-scale investigation in her off time.
I thoroughly enjoyed being with Rita--learning about her introduction to photography, witnessing her relationships with her grandmother and mother, seeing how her ability evolved over time. I didn't care as much about the actual crime and solving it--especially when it was revealed to be a drug cartel story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Death
just_one_more_paige's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I don't usually read thrillers, a trend that is probably pretty obvious if you even cursorily follow my reviews, but I was intrigued by this one that made the National Book Award longlist. It's not really that common, at least in my recreational following of the award, for a book categorized as a "thriller" to make the list. (Side note: shout out to libro.fm for the advanced listerner's copy!) And so, here we are.
Rita Todacheene works for the Albuquerque Police Department as a forensic photographer. She's loved cameras and taking photos since she was a child, and this was one of the only options she could find that provided her a stable income and the chance to take photos. It is, perhaps, just inconvenient (or is it more like fate) that she is also secretly able to see ghosts. In her job, they sometimes point her to clues that others have overlooked. In her personal life, it caused quite a bit of strife, as her superstitious Navajo reservation community treated her differently, isolated (with the exception of her grandmother, who raised her), once they found out about her taboo ability. Rita has figured out a way to, for the most part, shut out the ghosts, but the victim of a recent case she photographed just will not leave her alone...and the ghost's push for vengeance will lead Rita into a dangerous cartel inside-man/cover-up situation.
Well, I can see what made this particular thriller special, a literary sort of mystery, that could get it added to the NBA longlist. The writing is...incredibly evocative. I literally made the note "shit, this opening descriptive monologue is visceral" after the first couple pages. And then it never let up. It's intense, I can't lie. The specifics and particulars of the crime scenes Rita photographs are not for the faint-hearted. Seriously, it's an onslaught of gruesome murder scenes and details. Please be ready: all the content warnings for death and violent death and blood and disfigurement, etc. But the use of the photographs and the perspective of the photographer as a narrative device works really well. It adds so much to the tangibility of the narrative. This is just writing that sticks to your bones. And I enjoyed the way the ending took “making peace with death” to a whole new/different level.
Rita's personal development throughout the novel was kept me interested. The story is told in dual storylines. One of the past, as Rita grows up and realizes both that she has the "gift" of seeing ghosts, as well as the turbulent home life that she was thrust into off the reservation as a result of the visions of ghosts and communication with the dead that people’s superstitions made it too hard to live alongside. One in the present, as Rita struggles to help her victim's ghost get answers, and revenge, while trying to balance her own relationships and jobs and normal life stressors. It took me longer to get into the “past” storyline, but about halfway through it got more compelling for me, and the way it built from there, alongside their mystery in the present, balanced well. I loved Rita's relationship with her grandmother, it was an overall highlight, for me, as it was nuanced and genuine in both its flaws and its fullness. Tied in with that, the thread of Navajo culture/traditions/beliefs and contemporary history interspersed lightly, but thoroughly, throughout was phenomenal. It was beautifully tender and esteemed, while Emerson showed great insight into the complexities of the advantages and disadvantages of being raised solely on the reservation versus in combination with off-reservation life (both the involuntary, like the residential schools, and the self-determined).
Interestingly, I feel like the literary side of this novel overshadowed the mystery/thriller aspects a little too much. Like, I felt a weirdly low amount of tension while reading, considering the intensity and high-stakes of the plot and the life-threatening situations Rita finds herself in. Also, there was some plot stuff that either didn't feel right or wasn't my cup of tea. First, and this is my thing with thrillers, something always happens that feels too convenient or easy (in this case, the party photos) and, really, information she gets from a “retired” detective seemed like it came too easy (like, is he not afraid of backlash or whatever?!). Also, unrelated to most of the rest of the plot, she had a one-night stand with a guy who then never came back...and he was supposed to? It felt like both an unnecessary plot point that then turned into a loose/hanging thread by the end and I felt we could have done without that half-hearted attempt to highlight that Rita "also has a personal life/life outside work." Her friends felt similarly "iffy" as far as their development and role(s) in the greater plot - more convenient that worth being developed in their own right.
Overall, I just don't know about this one. I realize that I might be biased because it's not my typical genre. And there were parts that were great - the writing was a real highlight and the cultural aspects were phenomenal. I also thought the concept was so cool, the idea of ghosts helping a forensic photographer find evidence to capture is wonderful in theory and vision. But the plot and development left something to be desired. And the combination of literary fiction and thriller wasn't enough of either/both together. So, in the end, this maybe was just...not enough...for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Blood, Gun violence, Gore, Violence, Murder, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Abandonment, Drug use, Racism, Alcohol, Death of parent, Grief, Child death, and Trafficking
Minor: Sexual content, Stalking, and Pregnancy
sjanke2's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
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? It's complicated
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Death, Violence, Abandonment, Bullying, Colonisation, Drug use, Murder, Physical abuse, Body horror, Grief, Gun violence, and Police brutality
martha_g's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Gore, Murder, and Police brutality
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