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roxiethebookslayer 's review for:
Blackwater: The Complete Caskey Family Saga
by Michael McDowell
“She hates that levee the way you and I hate hell and the Republicans.”
In another Southern Gothic classic, McDowell paints quite a picture. Surrounded by swampy lands and wrap around porches, the Caskey family takes in a stranger after a flood in 1919. This stranger, Elinor, changes this family; changes it for the better. But she has a secret that she can't even tell her new husband, Oscar.
The Saga spans over 50 years and four generations. The family survives the Great Depression, the Second World War, and even a few personal tragedies. There are ups and there are lows, but one thing is for sure, the women of the Caskey clan sure do take care of business.
The whole saga includes serious topics like race, misogyny, rape, and homosexuality, with such kindness and care for the period and location, I was genuinely surprised. This family may not be perfect, but they stick together through anything.
Normally I wouldn't care for such a slow burn. I like action and getting to the big bad, yet I couldn't put this down! I was so interested in the family and their closeness that I didn't care too much when horrific things weren't happening. When they did happen, they were without mercy and soaked in blood. Overall, I laughed often, got angry, and even cried.
This is my third McDowell novel and as with the others, I can't say enough good things without spoilers. So go read this!