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williamgideon's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
First of all, Mapping the Interior is a genius title.
Second of all, this was such a good story! Novellas are very underrated. As someone who is very impatient, I love that the story was quite compact and only kept the things that mattered. It was also super interesting and engaging.
Like The Only Good Indians, this book packs an emotional punch. The child protagonist finding out more about the "ghost dad" paralells the unraveling of the ideas he had about him. It's part of growing up, realizing who your parents are (or were), it's heartbreaking and touching at the same time.
Graphic: Gun violence, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Death of parent
booksthatburn's review
Moderate: Death of parent, Medical trauma, Grief, Medical content, Animal death, and Death
Minor: Excrement, Bullying, Drug use, Vomit, and Colonisation
random19379's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Police brutality, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Car accident, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Violence
howlinglibraries's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
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.
I've reached a point in my life where I buy print copies of SGJ titles whenever possible, because I already know ahead of time that I'm going to highlight the hell out of it, just as I did with this one. Half of my copy of this little story is highlighted because there's something about this author's writing that mesmerizes me from the very first page and doesn't let go, and Mapping the Interior was no exception.
Mapping the Interior isn't your average ghost story: in this, we follow a teen boy who's seeing his late father's ghost, but the spirit's motives are unclear at first. Is he visiting to watch his boys grow up? Is he seeking out closure for unfinished business? Or is there something darker at play here?
This novella packs such a powerful punch, and in so few pages! It's an atmospheric, immensely eerie horror tale, but it's also a look at Native experiences, generational trauma, and the endless absences that grief creates. Junior and his younger brother Dino are impossible not to fall in love with, which created such a high-stakes, emotional reading experience for me.
There's something about SGJ's way as a natural storyteller that makes every story feel like sitting at a campfire, listening to the most incredulous tales, hanging on every word — and, as always, I walk away already eager for the next one.
✨ Representation: the narrator and his family are Native American
Graphic: Death, Animal death, Death of parent, Ableism, Bullying, and Gore
jae0141's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Gore, Animal death, and Blood
stephctopping's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Grief and Animal death
Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, and Violence
sbcrra's review
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, Death of parent, and Gore
Moderate: Alcoholism
sexualedward's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Grief, Bullying, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Classism, Murder, Animal death, Blood, Toxic relationship, Car accident, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Sexual content, Colonisation, Addiction, Gun violence, Police brutality, Racism, War, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Stalking, and Xenophobia
ghouligan's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Colonisation, and Death
sofipitch's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Animal death, and Vomit
Moderate: Child death and Police brutality