Scan barcode
A review by danaslitlist
Jackal by Erin E. Adams
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This was one of my most anticipated reads of October and I flew through it in just under two days of dedicated reading. While compelling with great commentary on race and society, as well as beautiful prose by the author I felt that the second half of Jackal was disappointing and a bit on the nose.
This is by no means a difficult mystery to solve and whole I found myself able to predict the general direction it was going which I kept reading because the characters (mainly the other mothers and Caroline) were compelling to keep me going. I also found the discussion of race and being Black in an isolated rural area to be engaging and beautifully written. I almost wish the book had stuck to those moments because those were the most touching and intense moments. The uneasiness and tension was so real and engaging.
But Jackal lost me when we stepped out of the realism of the world and are introduced to the bad guy’s true identity. This idea could’ve worked for me if maybe we had more time to digest the information and if it was expanded upon. I was left with a lot of questions.
I want to take a second to say I recognize that the horror in this book comes mostly from the experiences of our Black main character, Liz facing racism and extremism in her town (and the violence against young Black girls) and that I (a white woman), am not the deciding factor of “if this is real horror” or not. In fact I think that the books more effective horrifying moments in the story are the parts where we see these experiences. My criticism is more so rooted in the execution of the plot as a whole and the almost convoluted ending.
Erin E. Adams is an incredibly gifted author and so much of this book bad me putting my hand on my heart because I could feel what she was saying, I could feel the emotion behind every sentence. This just wasn’t enough to save the book from getting a 2 star rating for me.
This is by no means a difficult mystery to solve and whole I found myself able to predict the general direction it was going which I kept reading because the characters (mainly the other mothers and Caroline) were compelling to keep me going. I also found the discussion of race and being Black in an isolated rural area to be engaging and beautifully written. I almost wish the book had stuck to those moments because those were the most touching and intense moments. The uneasiness and tension was so real and engaging.
But Jackal lost me when we stepped out of the realism of the world and are introduced to the bad guy’s true identity. This idea could’ve worked for me if maybe we had more time to digest the information and if it was expanded upon. I was left with a lot of questions.
I want to take a second to say I recognize that the horror in this book comes mostly from the experiences of our Black main character, Liz facing racism and extremism in her town (and the violence against young Black girls) and that I (a white woman), am not the deciding factor of “if this is real horror” or not. In fact I think that the books more effective horrifying moments in the story are the parts where we see these experiences. My criticism is more so rooted in the execution of the plot as a whole and the almost convoluted ending.
Erin E. Adams is an incredibly gifted author and so much of this book bad me putting my hand on my heart because I could feel what she was saying, I could feel the emotion behind every sentence. This just wasn’t enough to save the book from getting a 2 star rating for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Child death, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Sexual violence