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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
I picked this book up two or three times before I was able to get into it. It just didn't hook me right away-I think my main issue was that Dobyn's writing is really descriptive and often verbose. Ultimately, that worked slightly in the novel's favor by elevating the prose beyond that of a typical small-town crime story, but it made getting into the book difficult. To be honest, I didn't like The Burn Palace much until I was about halfway through. It's not terribly engaging, and the many plot threads are pretty scattered and disparate, even up to the resolution. Not to mention the fact that I really hate it when police characters break the law or fudge their responsibilities, even in pursuit of criminals. It really freaks me out, and there was a lot of police bullying other people to get evidence and warrants in this book. It was supposed to come across as powerful and determined officers of the law seeking justice and capturing criminals, but to me it read as police brutality and aggression. Not to mention that there was a pretty heavy layer of misogyny over this entire book, which I hated. On the other hand, there are a few things the book has going for it: really unique, complex, and quirky characters that demonstrate very few stereotypes, a few really bizarre mysteries, and a really successful cultivation of that small-town feeling. In sum, The Burn Palace has many weaknesses which, in my view, simply weren't be offset by its strengths. If you want to read a good small-town crime or horror novel, there are many better authors who write them: Christopher Rice, Stephen King, & Nick Antosca are all good examples. While The Burn Palace provided some solid entertainment and certainly had its merits, I probably won't be looking to read anything else by Stephen Dobyns.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved the concept of the burn palace and I wished we got a little more on the actual morgue and also the strange men who worked in there. Expecially Larry because wtfđ? Loved the side characters (especially bingođ) but the main guy was so annoying and I did not care for his hero arc at all he was that insufferable... But the themes were really interesting here and I thought the rest of the characters were fantastic and so, so weird which is always a good thing. Love books about a town full of weirdos and this really did not disappoint in that factor
The fact that I asked myself âWhat the hell did I just read?â should tell you all you need to know.
Is this a horror novel or not? No spoilers here; letâs just say that if you are looking for a horror show, youâve got it; if youâre looking for a mystery, itâs here, and if you are in the mood for a small town character study, youâve picked up the right book. The fact that Steven Dobyns can scratch the itch for several genres is a tribute to his writerâs skill and makes âBurn Palaceâ a satisfying experience.
Since I go for the small town character angle, letâs talk about Brewster, RI. Itâs a small town in a small state where not much happens until someone snatches a newborn from the hospital and leaves Hercel McClartyâs pet corn snake in its place. Weirdness ripples out from there, confounding police who embark on a learning curve that includes Wiccans, Satanists, a guy who starts to growl when angry, and teachers of yoga. Whoâd have thought there would turn out to be so many of these in Brewster? Are any of them sinister? Or does the increasing number of unsettling events have a different cause?
The police are well-drawn and believable. They put things together piece by piece, without those blinding âeurekaâ moments when insanely perceptive cops suddenly put obscure facts together to make a completely unexpected arrest. Some are smarter than others, some are quirkier, but they good companions as the story unfolds. A few story lines are not completely tied up but then in a mystery, do we ever have all the answers?
Good reading, plenty creepy, enjoyable and out of the ordinary. Whatâs not to like--a lot?
Since I go for the small town character angle, letâs talk about Brewster, RI. Itâs a small town in a small state where not much happens until someone snatches a newborn from the hospital and leaves Hercel McClartyâs pet corn snake in its place. Weirdness ripples out from there, confounding police who embark on a learning curve that includes Wiccans, Satanists, a guy who starts to growl when angry, and teachers of yoga. Whoâd have thought there would turn out to be so many of these in Brewster? Are any of them sinister? Or does the increasing number of unsettling events have a different cause?
The police are well-drawn and believable. They put things together piece by piece, without those blinding âeurekaâ moments when insanely perceptive cops suddenly put obscure facts together to make a completely unexpected arrest. Some are smarter than others, some are quirkier, but they good companions as the story unfolds. A few story lines are not completely tied up but then in a mystery, do we ever have all the answers?
Good reading, plenty creepy, enjoyable and out of the ordinary. Whatâs not to like--a lot?
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Very enjoyable read but frustrating at times.
I love a multiple storyline plot but none of them really ended as satisfying as Id like. And for an omniscient third person narrator we have too many off screen deaths of some major players.
***Spoiler****
And what's with that one kid having telekinesis? Like I get that there were all these themes of wicca, magic, and satanism but that was so removed from that character. And they don't even have a single line in the whole book to explain how his snake ended up in the baby's basket. I get that the bad guys either stole it from him or the stepdad gave it to them but it's never even mentioned that it's what happened. Yes not everything needs to be spelled out in a story but the snake was like the catalyst for this whole thing. If it weren't for the snake probably most of what happened wouldn't have happened.
I love a multiple storyline plot but none of them really ended as satisfying as Id like. And for an omniscient third person narrator we have too many off screen deaths of some major players.
***Spoiler****
And what's with that one kid having telekinesis? Like I get that there were all these themes of wicca, magic, and satanism but that was so removed from that character. And they don't even have a single line in the whole book to explain how his snake ended up in the baby's basket. I get that the bad guys either stole it from him or the stepdad gave it to them but it's never even mentioned that it's what happened. Yes not everything needs to be spelled out in a story but the snake was like the catalyst for this whole thing. If it weren't for the snake probably most of what happened wouldn't have happened.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Pregnancy
Nice premise (plucky Satanists on the loose in sleepy small town), well-drawn characters and good pacing, but ultimately frustrating. Too many characters and plot points, not enough depth.
Surely fear is the oldest emotion. Not love, not pride, not greed. The emotion urging you to run is older than the one telling you to embrace. ~The Burn PalaceLet's get the Negative Nelly rant out of the way first: I may have just taken too damn long to read this book (it was a hellish work week, and I couldn't seem to find the time needed to just attack the book and submerse myself in it the way it demands). It starts out really strong -- with a great premise -- but somewhere along the way, Dobyns has created so many colorful characters and so many plot threads that the book begins to unravel and stall, rather than gain momentum and tightly coil for the final climactic reveal.
I am officially diagnosing this novel with Attention Deficit Disorder. Because there are so many leads to uncover and investigate, as well as so many people to get to know within the borders of this sleepy little Rhode Island town, the narration flits about quickly often jerkily with no discernible pattern, from character to character, plot point to plot point -- a busy bee desperate to pollinate ALL the flowers in the garden.
Dobyns almost pulls it off. Parts of this novel work extremely well, but it is messy and misdirected in too many places and dare I say a little bit of the investigation starts to feel like
Dobyns has proven in the past he has the writing chops to create memorable characters and capture the psychology of small towns besieged by fear and paranoia. What didn't work for me here, worked exceedingly well I thought in The Church of Dead Girls. The difference between that book and this one comes down to narration. While Dead Girls introduces almost as many characters, I feel the story benefits tremendously from the voice of a single narrator telling the story in first-person. It gives the novel a cohesiveness and determined direction that this one seems lacking in.
Okay, those are my complaints. Here are some things I enjoyed, because overall, I did like this book very much. When I did get the time to sit with it for a few hours, I found it casting a spell over me. The descriptive prose sucked me into the streets and lives of Brewster, Rhode Island. Stephen King has been very supportive of Dobyns in the past, blurbing his books, and this time is no different. King writes:
"I entered the small-town world Stephen Dobyns creates with such affection, horror, and fidelity....Dobyns has always been good, but this book is authentically great. The characters are vivid originals, not a stereotype among them, and the story pulled this reader in so completely that I didn't want the book to end, and actually did go back to re-read the first chapter."Super generous, yes? Reading Dobyns you can definitely sense a "King vibe" going on and it is not a stretch to say that Dobyns has been influenced by King's New England tales of the macabre and small town sinister shenanigans. Dobyns appears to be paying homage to King specifically here with such references as:
1. The novel opens with a baby being stolen from hospital room 217. Later, an abusive father states: "No boy likes to be corrected." (The Shining)Okay, small things to be sure, but they jumped out at me despite that and made me smile.
2. One of the lead detectives is named Bobby Anderson. (The Tommyknockers)
3. Another main character describes reading The Shining, Cujo and The Dark Half.
I also really enjoyed how the kids are written in this story. They are quirky and precocious without coming off as bratty and annoying. They are King-worthy kids, the highest compliment I can pay. I just wish there had been more of them and less of some of the other plot threads.
Spoiler
I never quite got why Dobyns introduces Hercel's telekinetic ability though. It seems out of place in a story that turns out NOT to be supernatural but man-made. Hercel's ability struck me as interesting, and I wanted to know more. Instead, it just basically serves as a Deus ex Machina last minute escape when the children are being hunted by coyotes. Disappointing.So that's it. If only I had more glowing praise to offer. This is a dense book that demands your attention and patience. If you like a challenge, and lots of colorful characters, you may just love this. Dobyns is a great writer and I would never discourage anyone from picking up one of his books.
***Review of ARC provided by publisher through NetGalley.
This was a second read for me and I liked it much better this time. I think that the first time around the plethora of characters in the beginning was too much to keep track of, so I lost interest. This time I noted certain characters that I thought were of larger interest in the story and got along much better.
The cliff hanger chapter endings were wonderfully frustrating! I continually screamed "Don't cut to a different scene now!"âș That and impossible odds, kept me reading on for more.
With quirky townsfolk and a hint of the supernatural, Brewster could be the twin city of Derry.
The cliff hanger chapter endings were wonderfully frustrating! I continually screamed "Don't cut to a different scene now!"âș That and impossible odds, kept me reading on for more.
With quirky townsfolk and a hint of the supernatural, Brewster could be the twin city of Derry.