A review by reader44ever
Brimstone by Cherie Priest

4.0

This story was really pretty excellent, and I sort-of laughed twice and cried three times, but for whatever reason, it's not hitting "that was amazing!" levels for me.

(Though I suspect that one reason is because I can't see myself ever wanting to reread this story.)

But I am very glad to have taken a chance on it. (This was a book that I saw displayed cover-facing-out on my library's New Fiction Books display and checked out solely because I thought the cover looked interesting, especially when combined with the title and author's name.) :-)

I didn't know what this story was about at the time I checked it out, and I didn't read the description or anything about it before I read it. So I am very pleased with how enjoyable this story was. :-)

This is the story of Alice Dartle, a 22-year-old medium and clairvoyant, and Tomás Cordero, a 30-32-year-old tailor haunted by an evil spirit. It is set in Florida (Cassadaga and Ybor City), mostly during the month of January 1920 (the final chapter took place on February 1, 1920).

I am pleased to report that I always knew that this was an historical story. Unlike another book I read recently that was set in the 1930s, this one was always very clear that it was 1920.

(Though I found it a little confusing how accepting everyone was of the "colored" concierge. No overt racism was ever expressed, which seemed slightly incongruous to me. Especially seeing as how yesterday's book was set in the 1920s through to the 1960s and racism was alive in the U.S. - realistically, unfortunately - in that story.)

So that was one thing that "sounded off" for me. :-(

But the story as told by our two protagonists, Alice and Tomás, was otherwise pretty great. I was a little concerned at one point, as it seemed kind of slow in parts of the first 75 (give or take 15) pages. I was afraid my lack of sleep these past few days would overtake me and I'd have to pause for a nap. Thankfully, though, the action picked up and, when combined with the fact that I started doing reading sprints with friends in one of my groups, I never needed to pause for sleep. :-)

So this was a fun story. I enjoyed how

Alice, Tomás, and the others vanquished the evil spirit - Heinrich Kramer -

in the end. Though it sort of took me aback that

the three spirits that came to their aid were "normal, everyday" people from Tomás's life: his deceased neighbor, employee, and wife, to be specific.

I think I was expecting archangels or someone...just someone more.

So that also seemed slightly "off" to me. (I'm thinking that maybe four stars IS the right rating from me, after all.)

But I mentioned humor and tears? Humorous lines - for me - were on pages 4 and 74. And I found myself crying after reading lines or scenes on pages 67-70, 144, and 316. I'll share. . .

First, on page 4 in Chapter 1 (an Alice chapter), Alice had this thought:

. . . Mother said it was proof enough right there that I was crazy, if I'd turn down a good-looking boy with a fortune and a fondness for a girl with some meat on her bones, but Daddy shrugged and told me there's a lid for every pot, so if Harvey isn't mine, I ought to look elsewhere. The world is full of lids.

:-)

Next up, on page 74 in Chapter 7 (another Alice chapter; she was lead in all of the odd-numbered chapters), Alice shared this thought with us:

. . . Mabel frowned sternly at me, as if this were no time to be noshing on sandwiches and tea---but she was wrong about that. There's no greater time to eat then when one has freshly awakened from a sudden faint at the hands of peculiar spirits. That's what I always say. Or that's what I'm going to say, from this day forward.

*snicker, snicker* :-)

And I cried three times. Three! With tears falling down my face each time!

The first time I cried was on pages 67-70 in Chapter 7, when Alice was giving her first open reading. All I'll say about that is that the spirits she communed with really tore at my heartstrings. :-)

Next was on page 144 in Chapter 12 (a Tomás chapter; he had the lead in all of the even-numbered chapters): Tomás was in his kitchen

after the fire that consumed his neighbor's house. He had been given her little chihuahua, who survived the blaze. (The neighbor was missing; we learned in Chapter 14 that she died in the fire.) And when little Felipe dragged his mango box, with pillow, into the kitchen to rest by Tomás's feet. . .

. . .I resisted the urge to awaken the small dog and pull him into my lap.
I sat there beside him instead, petting him just to feel him breathe.

That scene, which closed out Chapter 12, put me in tears.

And lastly, I cried on page 316, at the close of Chapter 26, when Tomás shared

the things left behind after the spirits of his neighbor, employee, and wife vanquished the evil spirit:

But in the center of the room, the site of the explosion (or whatever it was), an enormous black stain was burned into the floor. At the center of the stain were three small gifts, left behind.
A dog collar. A silk pocket-handkerchief. A bouquet.

And I sobbed. I think the blame for those tears can be placed on the dog collar. :'(

In sum, this was an excellent story that was slightly diminished by the three complaints I made above. So four stars, meaning "a very good story that I really enjoyed," is the right rating from me. :-)

Oh! One more thing: I was slightly disappointed that Alice and Tomás

did not appear to be headed for romance. And instead, a romance seemed to be blossoming between Alice and Silvio.

(!!!) And even though those latter two seem to be closer in age. . . That really seemed to come out of left field. :-(

So again, four-very-good-stars is the right rating from me.