A review by angus_mckeogh
Blackwater: The Complete Caskey Family Saga by Michael McDowell

2.0

First thing I’ll say is wow this was long but it really is a six-novel series mashed into one. It was also my first McDowell. Supposed to be Southern Gothic in tradition. But the best I can figure is Southern Gothic means uneventful with a sprinkling of supernatural events. Not scary by any means so I wouldn’t suggest it as horror fiction which I’ll admit was kind of what I was thinking going in. Reads like a mishmash between The Shape of Water and The Thornbirds. And I’ll say it wasn’t ever terrible. The writing was good and the story was well told and linear. But I was constantly waiting for something really exciting to happen. And at 895 pages that was a long wait. Just okay. I was hoping it’d blow my socks off but alas they’re still securely on my feet.