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bishop_504's review
dark
mysterious
sad
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
5.0
The last book I had to read for my writing class.
This book immediately drew me in with its opening line, “I was twelve the first time I saw my dead father cross from the kitchen doorway to the hall that led back to the utility room.” The premise of the story is established incredibly quickly with no over-the-top buildup or useless fluff. We know from the start the paranormal aspects of this book and the young child protagonist. The sleepwalking scenes help establish Junior’s character, and how desperately he wants to have his father back. The description of him making his legs fall asleep with the jump-rope was incredibly well done and horribly visceral. However, it was difficult for me to appreciate because I felt like I was going to throw up, which I would argue shows how talented the writer is.
Part of what made this book so great in my opinion, is how Junior acts so intelligently, but still child-like. He comes to conclusions not in spite of the fact that he is a child, but because of the fact that he is able to see the world from this viewpoint. He has a child-like faith in his father that fuels his return to a physical form. His impulsive gifts of Dino’s toy and his mother’s cigarette butts are healing to his father, and no adult would have thought to have given those things or would have thought to give anything at all. Once he realizes that his father is hurting Dino, he protects his brother by using cinnamon toothpicks laced with mace that he bought at school. This seems like an odd way of trying to protect him, but it works and the mace repels his father from his strange soul sucking of his youngest son. Even the final blow to his father, which is done by drowning a toy, seems representative of this child-like mentality. This is such detailed and precise characterization, and I want to keep it in mind if I ever write a child character dealing with more serious “adult” problems.
The one aspect of the story that did not feel as developed as the rest in my opinion, was Junior possessing the other Junior that drowned his father in the lake. This happened fairly late in the story, and it felt like a completely new paranormal idea to introduce as the novella was beginning to wrap up. Potentially introducing this idea earlier, or maybe implying that Junior was possessed by someone else during his sleepwalking might have helped this feel more natural. This is especially confusing given that Junior describes sleepwalking as being possessed by yourself, rather than someone else. However, given the context of this paranormal event, I like the implication that neither Junior nor his father fought the rabid dogs. The book explains that the other Junior was no memory of drowning his father, just like the protagonist Junior has no memory of defeating the dogs. It is interesting to ponder which person from the past or future possessed Junior and why.
The ending of the story made the whole plot come together in a horrifying full circle moment. Despite everything that Junior went through and how fiercely he fought to protect his family as a child, he makes the same mistakes as his parents as an adult. This is especially heart-wrenching when considering his previous characterization on page 84, “Standing there, I promised myself that if I ever had kids, I was going to be different. It’s a promise every Indian kid says at some point. You mean it when you say it though. You mean it so hard.” He is absent from his son Collin’s life, hardly ever seeing him. His decision to attempt to resurrect Collin makes him just as bad, if not worse than, his father. He will force his teenage son to exist in a twisted half-alive state and sacrifice his younger brother he tried so desperately to save during his childhood. Just like his father, he considers Dino lesser than him and worth the benefit that his death would bring. The reader is left with the knowledge that Junior will murder his brother to try to bring his son back the way that his father tried to return and knowing that there is no way this could possibly end well.
This book immediately drew me in with its opening line, “I was twelve the first time I saw my dead father cross from the kitchen doorway to the hall that led back to the utility room.” The premise of the story is established incredibly quickly with no over-the-top buildup or useless fluff. We know from the start the paranormal aspects of this book and the young child protagonist. The sleepwalking scenes help establish Junior’s character, and how desperately he wants to have his father back. The description of him making his legs fall asleep with the jump-rope was incredibly well done and horribly visceral. However, it was difficult for me to appreciate because I felt like I was going to throw up, which I would argue shows how talented the writer is.
Part of what made this book so great in my opinion, is how Junior acts so intelligently, but still child-like. He comes to conclusions not in spite of the fact that he is a child, but because of the fact that he is able to see the world from this viewpoint. He has a child-like faith in his father that fuels his return to a physical form. His impulsive gifts of Dino’s toy and his mother’s cigarette butts are healing to his father, and no adult would have thought to have given those things or would have thought to give anything at all. Once he realizes that his father is hurting Dino, he protects his brother by using cinnamon toothpicks laced with mace that he bought at school. This seems like an odd way of trying to protect him, but it works and the mace repels his father from his strange soul sucking of his youngest son. Even the final blow to his father, which is done by drowning a toy, seems representative of this child-like mentality. This is such detailed and precise characterization, and I want to keep it in mind if I ever write a child character dealing with more serious “adult” problems.
The one aspect of the story that did not feel as developed as the rest in my opinion, was Junior possessing the other Junior that drowned his father in the lake. This happened fairly late in the story, and it felt like a completely new paranormal idea to introduce as the novella was beginning to wrap up. Potentially introducing this idea earlier, or maybe implying that Junior was possessed by someone else during his sleepwalking might have helped this feel more natural. This is especially confusing given that Junior describes sleepwalking as being possessed by yourself, rather than someone else. However, given the context of this paranormal event, I like the implication that neither Junior nor his father fought the rabid dogs. The book explains that the other Junior was no memory of drowning his father, just like the protagonist Junior has no memory of defeating the dogs. It is interesting to ponder which person from the past or future possessed Junior and why.
The ending of the story made the whole plot come together in a horrifying full circle moment. Despite everything that Junior went through and how fiercely he fought to protect his family as a child, he makes the same mistakes as his parents as an adult. This is especially heart-wrenching when considering his previous characterization on page 84, “Standing there, I promised myself that if I ever had kids, I was going to be different. It’s a promise every Indian kid says at some point. You mean it when you say it though. You mean it so hard.” He is absent from his son Collin’s life, hardly ever seeing him. His decision to attempt to resurrect Collin makes him just as bad, if not worse than, his father. He will force his teenage son to exist in a twisted half-alive state and sacrifice his younger brother he tried so desperately to save during his childhood. Just like his father, he considers Dino lesser than him and worth the benefit that his death would bring. The reader is left with the knowledge that Junior will murder his brother to try to bring his son back the way that his father tried to return and knowing that there is no way this could possibly end well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Self harm, and Animal death
royalraspberry's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Animal death
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism and Child death
cait's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Mental illness, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Grief, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Classism, Dysphoria, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Alcohol, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Forced institutionalization
lucasplusbooks's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A ghost story on the surface, but truly an exploration of generational traumas. A quick novella that is punchy and able to destroy you
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Animal death, and Mental illness
bluejayreads's review
3.5
Very weird, very short, very disturbing. It had some strong magical realism elements, but since the narrator was the only person to experience anything weird, it didn't feel like magical realism so much as one of those books where you're not sure if there's actually something supernatural going on or if it's all in the protagonist's head. But the back cover also calls it "deeply rooted in the contemporary Native American experience," so maybe it's actually including a particular tribe's understanding of or mythology around ghosts and I'm just missing the context to understand. This whole novella gives me a feeling that I'm missing something. By itself, it's a disturbing, incredibly dark horror story that never quite answers the question of whether or not any of this actually happened. But I also get the sense that there's deeper ideas that I just don't have the context or the analysis stills to really grasp.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, and Death of parent
Moderate: Gun violence, Body horror, and Ableism
Minor: Gore
silea's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, and Grief
jeninthebooks08's review
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
4.0
"When I was twelve years old, I mapped the interior of our home. Now, sitting across from my little brother, I’m sketching out a map of the human heart, I guess. There’s more dark hallways than I knew."
Brooo, this was so... daunting? In the best way possible.
That ending made my heart sink!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Grief, and Death
greatestheights's review
challenging
dark
tense
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Animal death, Death of parent, Gore, and Medical content
archaicrobin's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Stephen Graham Jones is one of those horror authors I always come back to because his stories are dark and heart wrenching. His horror melds supernatural with real human evil in a way that’s truly terrifying.
This novella is often described as a house of leaves situation, but it is not that at all! The house is not the focus here, it’s just where the events happen. Junior is 12 years old and begins seeing his dead father roaming the halls of his ramshackle home. With a disabled brother, a single mother, bullying at school, a deputy making night visits, and an aggressive neighbor with vicious dogs, Junior first sees his dad’s apparition as a good thing. But soon he starts to see the apparitions true intentions.
While this book is short I found myself needing to put it down at times just to have a break from the sheer bleakness. I highly recommend this or any other Stephen Graham Jones novel.
This novella is often described as a house of leaves situation, but it is not that at all! The house is not the focus here, it’s just where the events happen. Junior is 12 years old and begins seeing his dead father roaming the halls of his ramshackle home. With a disabled brother, a single mother, bullying at school, a deputy making night visits, and an aggressive neighbor with vicious dogs, Junior first sees his dad’s apparition as a good thing. But soon he starts to see the apparitions true intentions.
While this book is short I found myself needing to put it down at times just to have a break from the sheer bleakness. I highly recommend this or any other Stephen Graham Jones novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Animal death, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Death of parent, and Police brutality
katie316says's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.25
Wow. For about 75% of this book I wasn’t sure what to think, but when I finished it I had literal chills and a figurative punch to the stomach. I do feel like I probably missed a fair bit of the meaning of this book, but I did pick up on enough for it to have an effect on me. I do feel like the ending was a little rushed and my first response was to be confused as to why Junior did what he did, but then I realized that it was meant to show that Junior was really a lot like his father in a way that he didn’t want to be when he was younger. . This novella somehow had the vibe of a very good and emotional r/nosleep story, and I mean that in the most positive way possible. I read it in one quick sitting but I know this was likely have a last effect on my mind.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death