A review by emilyinherhead
Reprieve by James Han Mattson

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This novel starts out switching between multiple points of view and I liked the feeling of not knowing exactly how they would come together at first. Watching those connections become clear was a pleasure.

Also! Race! Wow. There have been a lot of books released recently about the Black experience in white supremacist America, and they are illuminating and important to be sure, but Reprieve is not that. James Han Mattson writes about race in a much more complicated way. It was interesting and new to see the issue of racism from the perspective of a young queer Thai man in America, who is a minority and therefore definitely subjected to a significant amount of prejudice, but who is then also accused by Black folks and others in the text of being racist himself.

And the horror! What is real in Quigley house, and what is just an act? These lines are very blurry and things get extremely scary at times. Overall this is just a really well done novel—a true page-turner with a lot of smart things to say about society. Fans of Get Out will likely enjoy this terrifying, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking story.