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A review by exorcismemily
Unbury Carol by Josh Malerman
2.0
"Fear was no stranger to Howltown, no traveler from the Trail, but the fear she felt now was shattering."
I read Unbury Carol as the second book for the Night Worms review team. This was a rollercoaster for me - I really enjoyed some parts, and struggled with others. I want to say up front that I am not particularly fond of books with a lot of traveling, so keep that in mind when reading my review.
I think I would classify this as a paranormal western. Don't go into this expecting a horror novel. I was expecting some creepiness, and I may have set myself up for disappointment with that.
This book is a slow burn. There's a lot of planning/plotting & waiting. I thought there would be more happening in Carol's coma world, but she was just stuck in there, and that was it. There are a lot of words, and not a ton of action, and the lovers of slow burns are going to appreciate that. For me, this book was very long for the story that was being told, and I felt like I was waiting for something throughout most of the book.
It seemed like this book was going to focus on Carol, but she is more of a secondary character to the men in her life. At some points, she seems to be relegated to the status of an object because of the absolute lack of control over her own life (the sickness part is not her fault). Men move her around, men want to save her, men try to figure out what other men are up to regarding her situation. The women in the novel are either dead, appear to be dead, or are drinking & crying. I had hoped for more in this area.
In all honesty, I think I would have felt differently about this book if it was more focused on Carol & her mother Hattie's relationship instead of Carol's relationships to the men around her. Hattie's actions do play a large role in the way Carol's life plays out, but only has a minor storyline. I found her to be far more interesting than some of the characters who received more attention.
As you may have seen in other reviews, "hell's heaven" and "pig-shit" are used quite frequently throughout the book. I appreciate the effort to create a western vernacular in the story, but these two phrases were overused to the point of distraction. I wish they would have been broken up with some other phrases.
I liked the resolution of the story, and I thought it was a creative way to tie up the ending. I was always uncertain about how it was going to end, and that curiosity held me throughout the whole book. I thought it was a fun way to handle solving everything.
Bird Box is the only other Josh Malerman book I've read, and he has versatility and creativity as a writer. Bird Box & Unbury Carol are incredibly different stories, and I admire the range of his imagination. I have Black Mad Wheel on my shelf, and hope to read it soon. I will continue to pick up whatever he writes next. Also, I want to say that whoever does the cover designs for his books is amazing. They are always stunning.
Thank you so much to Del Rey for sending early copies to the Night Worms. Unbury Carol will be out on 4/10!
I read Unbury Carol as the second book for the Night Worms review team. This was a rollercoaster for me - I really enjoyed some parts, and struggled with others. I want to say up front that I am not particularly fond of books with a lot of traveling, so keep that in mind when reading my review.
I think I would classify this as a paranormal western. Don't go into this expecting a horror novel. I was expecting some creepiness, and I may have set myself up for disappointment with that.
This book is a slow burn. There's a lot of planning/plotting & waiting. I thought there would be more happening in Carol's coma world, but she was just stuck in there, and that was it. There are a lot of words, and not a ton of action, and the lovers of slow burns are going to appreciate that. For me, this book was very long for the story that was being told, and I felt like I was waiting for something throughout most of the book.
It seemed like this book was going to focus on Carol, but she is more of a secondary character to the men in her life. At some points, she seems to be relegated to the status of an object because of the absolute lack of control over her own life (the sickness part is not her fault). Men move her around, men want to save her, men try to figure out what other men are up to regarding her situation. The women in the novel are either dead, appear to be dead, or are drinking & crying. I had hoped for more in this area.
In all honesty, I think I would have felt differently about this book if it was more focused on Carol & her mother Hattie's relationship instead of Carol's relationships to the men around her. Hattie's actions do play a large role in the way Carol's life plays out, but only has a minor storyline. I found her to be far more interesting than some of the characters who received more attention.
As you may have seen in other reviews, "hell's heaven" and "pig-shit" are used quite frequently throughout the book. I appreciate the effort to create a western vernacular in the story, but these two phrases were overused to the point of distraction. I wish they would have been broken up with some other phrases.
I liked the resolution of the story, and I thought it was a creative way to tie up the ending. I was always uncertain about how it was going to end, and that curiosity held me throughout the whole book. I thought it was a fun way to handle solving everything.
Bird Box is the only other Josh Malerman book I've read, and he has versatility and creativity as a writer. Bird Box & Unbury Carol are incredibly different stories, and I admire the range of his imagination. I have Black Mad Wheel on my shelf, and hope to read it soon. I will continue to pick up whatever he writes next. Also, I want to say that whoever does the cover designs for his books is amazing. They are always stunning.
Thank you so much to Del Rey for sending early copies to the Night Worms. Unbury Carol will be out on 4/10!