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A review by aconitecafe
Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
5.0
Discovered this book through the show, wanted to read it before I watch it.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone that loves occult woven into the fabric of our reality. The description was fantastic. Each scene was well crafted, and felt as if it came out of the time period. From clothes, to speech to how people treated each other. All well researched and described.
The occult aspects were fantastic, I loved the way the author mixed political intriguing in with a long standing secret underground of alchemists. Plus family drama, we all know any organization that thrives on lineage is going to have it's fair share of family drama. While I did not see the ending for the alchemist coming, I loved how it wrapped it all up. And the message the books left us with.
Where the story feel short for me was in the presence of emotion. Each chapter in this book could be dripping with emotion. The characters are going through their day to day, discovering mind blowing occult things, plus dealing with hate that is still dealt with today. But the book doesn't do the best job of capturing this emotion. It hops from one charged scene to the next with no time for the characters to unpack what happened. No one having a breakdown, or falling apart over what they just went through. Just a recap for the time jump.
Some of the jumps are months, where as some are days or weeks. But with zero reflection or emotion. Just the scenes as an onlooker would describe them as they unfold.
I would not say "if you love Lovecraft you'll love this book" because I wouldn't say that the book is Lovecraftian at all. And while that author is mentioned in the book, it's not the writing style etc. Just adding that in case anyone is scanning reviews looking for that information specifically.
You'll love this book if you enjoy a touch of fantasy set in a historically accurate period of American history.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone that loves occult woven into the fabric of our reality. The description was fantastic. Each scene was well crafted, and felt as if it came out of the time period. From clothes, to speech to how people treated each other. All well researched and described.
The occult aspects were fantastic, I loved the way the author mixed political intriguing in with a long standing secret underground of alchemists. Plus family drama, we all know any organization that thrives on lineage is going to have it's fair share of family drama. While I did not see the ending for the alchemist coming, I loved how it wrapped it all up. And the message the books left us with.
Where the story feel short for me was in the presence of emotion. Each chapter in this book could be dripping with emotion. The characters are going through their day to day, discovering mind blowing occult things, plus dealing with hate that is still dealt with today. But the book doesn't do the best job of capturing this emotion. It hops from one charged scene to the next with no time for the characters to unpack what happened. No one having a breakdown, or falling apart over what they just went through. Just a recap for the time jump.
Some of the jumps are months, where as some are days or weeks. But with zero reflection or emotion. Just the scenes as an onlooker would describe them as they unfold.
I would not say "if you love Lovecraft you'll love this book" because I wouldn't say that the book is Lovecraftian at all. And while that author is mentioned in the book, it's not the writing style etc. Just adding that in case anyone is scanning reviews looking for that information specifically.
You'll love this book if you enjoy a touch of fantasy set in a historically accurate period of American history.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
Minor: Alcoholism and Death of parent