A review by imaginary_space
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 Stephen Graham Jones touches a lot of serious topics Indigenous people face, all while crafting a truly suspenseful horror story that felt classic and fresh in all the good ways. I was entertained by this book, and I also feel I have learned so much from it, and for me, these are the best kinds of books.

Altough I love the folk horror elements, I think the true heart of this story are the characters. They are layered and conflicted and we get to see them through their own eyes as well as through the eyes of others, we get to see their expectations of themselves, the expectations that are placed on them and how that effects every single life - theirs and the ones they touch. We see different faces of intergenerational trauma, what it does to people and how it might be overcome.

It took me a minute to get used to the writing style, but it does fit the brutality and honesty of the book perfectly. And yes, this book is brutal in many ways. And honest. And I loved the ending

I wholeheartedly recommend it.