A review by starrysteph
Indian Burial Ground by Nick Medina

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

In Indian Burial Ground, Nick Medina has yet again crafted an incredibly compelling blend of supernatural & real life horrors. 

We’re following two characters in two timelines. In the present, Noemi has just lost her boyfriend to a horrific car accident. She soon learns that it may not have been an accident at all, and she grapples with grief and attempts to find some closure. At the same time, her Uncle Louie comes back to the reservation for the first time in many years.

In the past, we’re following teenage Louie as he witnesses a series of strange deaths on the reservation. He fears that there’s a monster on the hunt and wants to protect his loved ones (including then 3-year-old Noemi), but not everyone even believes that there is a real threat. 

In this dual timeline setup I definitely preferred Louie, but both narrators were engaging in different ways. Louie’s was more visceral and more gory, with a high stakes mystery and horrifying deaths around every corner. Even though it takes place in the past, you have NO idea how it will wrap up. Noemi’s was slower and more mundane - more tender and agonizing as she processed her grief. However, both storylines involved losing loved ones, and both focused on learning to fend for yourself and learning how to have compassion for yourself & others.

I loved the clever twists on the trope of an “Indian burial ground” that used genuine Indigenous stories and myths. There were so many oral storytelling elements here that touched my heart. There’s gore and there’s body horror and there are people rising from graves, but there were also stories about the importance of balance and respect for nature and other living creatures. And about the dangerous desire to consume and destroy with no regard for others.

The chapters were short & engaging, and kept the story moving really quickly. And there were beautifully covered themes of family, alcoholism, depression & suicide (and patterns of depression within marginalized communities), greed & balance, and dedication & love for community and the earth/nature.

There was also some openness in the ending, which intrigued me – it wasn’t clean, but it was hopeful. (After a totally trippy & terrifying final showdown, of course.) The characters are moving forward and starting new journeys. 

My one complaint - which I can’t say too much about without spoilers - is that I felt like there was a metaphor that was used a bit lazily/haphazardly. I think Medina is talented enough to not need to rely on old messy stereotypes. 

Overall, Indian Burial Ground was a terrifying piece that swirled together mythical predators and dangers that are all-too-human. It’s both a quiet look at trauma and generational weights and a bone-chilling horror story. 

CW: death (child/parent), murder, gore, suicide, animal cruelty/death, grief, fatphobia, ableism, addiction, alcoholism, mental health, car accident, fire

 

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(I received a free advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)