A review by kleonard
A Tiny Upward Shove by Melissa Chadburn

2.0

Filipino folklore meets serial killer lit in A Tiny Upward Shove. Marina is killed by a man who has killed many women, but her body is taken over by an aswang, an inherently evil shape-shifting spirit, But this spirt has been with Marina's family for a long time, and as it gathers strength to avenge Marina, we learn of Marina's family tragedies and failures. Ultimately, the aswang gets vengeance for Marina and the other victims of the killer. The author uses a non-fictional killer, Robert Pickton, as a character in the book, and this makes me really uncomfortable. Family members of his victims are still living, and this book exploits their stories and pain. It's unclear why the author draws on Filipino culture when so many of Pickton's victims were First Nations Women. And while I appreciate the author's dedication to showing how federal and state institutions fail young people, especially people of color, but there's a strange blurring of the US and Canada. Why does Marina go to Vancouver? Finally, readers should be aware that the book contains rape, including child rape, and other forms of violence that will make it hard for some readers to deal with.