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grayslittlecells 's review for:
Unbury Carol
by Josh Malerman
Unbury Carol touts itself as a kind of blend between western and supernatural elements, with a thriller based plot. The novel, which tells the story of Carol Evers who periodically falls into a deathlike Coma that mimics death. Only two people are aware of this condition: Dwight, her husband, and Moxie, her ex-lover. Dwight uses her condition as an opportunity to rid himself of her and inherit her fortune. Moxie, now an outlaw with a "magical" past, hears of her "death" and makes his way back to save her from being buried alive. This story, which should have been a gripping thriller against time, however, it quickly turns into a disappointment.
One of the most frustrating aspects of the novel is the lack of depth in its characters. Many read as flat or, in some cases, downright caricature-like. For example, the character of Smoke-depicted as a "cripple" who uses his boot to shoot oil and kills with a sing-song menace-feels more cartoonish than menacing. His exaggerated traits make him feel quite implausible, detracting from any genuine suspense and making the story feel rather "stupid" and overall detached from reality. The result is a villain who is hard to take seriously, and making it more difficult to invest in the story.
The structure and pacing of the story also suffer, much with the critical plot points. Like Rinaldo's "twist," seeming very dry and uneventful. Instead of feeling suspenseful or dramatic, these moments feel contrived, creating a "so that's how we're doing this?" reaction. Even when Moxie and Smoke finally meet, the scene is lackluster, failing to build any real level of excitement and left a me feeling disengaged.
The biggest disappointment, however, is the ending. Rather than providing a satisfying payoff for the buildup that was far too drawn out, it was boring and lackluster. For a book that spends the build of its pages in suspense, you'd expect for it to get good at some point but nothing seems to ever get going. The novel claims to be horror, but in reality leans more into Western, with some supernatural elements, but unfortunately not in a compelling way. As a result, any sense of horror is pretty much absent.
While I tried to find some redeeming qualities in Unbury Carol, I found it pretty much impossible. The book failed to deliver excitement, tension, or depth to make it worth reading. It feels like a poorly executed experiment rather than a polished piece of horror or even western literature. If this hadn't been a book club read for me, I very easily would have DNF'ed this within the first 100 pages. I cannot speak for Malerman's other reads but this one certainly was bad.
One of the most frustrating aspects of the novel is the lack of depth in its characters. Many read as flat or, in some cases, downright caricature-like. For example, the character of Smoke-depicted as a "cripple" who uses his boot to shoot oil and kills with a sing-song menace-feels more cartoonish than menacing. His exaggerated traits make him feel quite implausible, detracting from any genuine suspense and making the story feel rather "stupid" and overall detached from reality. The result is a villain who is hard to take seriously, and making it more difficult to invest in the story.
The structure and pacing of the story also suffer, much with the critical plot points. Like Rinaldo's "twist," seeming very dry and uneventful. Instead of feeling suspenseful or dramatic, these moments feel contrived, creating a "so that's how we're doing this?" reaction. Even when Moxie and Smoke finally meet, the scene is lackluster, failing to build any real level of excitement and left a me feeling disengaged.
The biggest disappointment, however, is the ending. Rather than providing a satisfying payoff for the buildup that was far too drawn out, it was boring and lackluster. For a book that spends the build of its pages in suspense, you'd expect for it to get good at some point but nothing seems to ever get going. The novel claims to be horror, but in reality leans more into Western, with some supernatural elements, but unfortunately not in a compelling way. As a result, any sense of horror is pretty much absent.
While I tried to find some redeeming qualities in Unbury Carol, I found it pretty much impossible. The book failed to deliver excitement, tension, or depth to make it worth reading. It feels like a poorly executed experiment rather than a polished piece of horror or even western literature. If this hadn't been a book club read for me, I very easily would have DNF'ed this within the first 100 pages. I cannot speak for Malerman's other reads but this one certainly was bad.