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A review by brennanlafaro
White Pines by Gemma Amor
4.0
I started my Gemma journey with Dear Laura, and it immediately showed me what this author was capable of. Not only that, but it’s one of the finest examples of what you can pull off in the novella form. Then it was onto These Wounds We Make, Gemma’s second collection of shorts. While I haven’t gotten to Cruel Works of Nature yet, I have no doubt that it’s going to be Amor showing that she doesn’t need more than 5,000 words to break your heart and twist your guts. When she announced a full-length novel, coming in over 400 pages, I couldn’t wait to see what she could do with it.
The answer is a lot. White Pines is touted as cosmic-folk-celtic-fantasy-cult-horror, and it ticks all of those boxes. More importantly, it does so without leaving the reader lost, confused, or overwhelmed. Considering the amount packed in, the story is surprisingly linear, following Megan as she moves to her grandmother’s cottage of Taigh Faire. What starts quietly escalates so gradually that the reader doesn’t necessarily know it’s happening until Amor flips the switch and the ride goes properly off the rails.
Amor excels writing female leads, which I realize is an odd thing to say. Her protagonists are strong, yet flawed. Like any good lead, they learn about themselves as the reader does, and even if you can’t put your finger on precisely why, you root for them. Megan is no exception, and even though the main events are spurred on by outside forces, it’s still very clearly Megan’s journey that remains at the forefront.
My one complaint seems a bit trifling, but White Pines does lack a little bit of the urgency that made me fall in love with the author’s shorter work. Trifling, because it’s a novel. Of course it’s not going to be paced the same as a work one quarter the size. It’s a wonderful story, but I’m not sure it will stick with me in the same way Dear Laura has.
The avalanche of potential sub-genre labels might overwhelm some readers so let me say that even though it does tick all those boxes, folk and fantasy horror are the best descriptors. As always, Amor packs emotion and brutal horror into the story, and doesn’t consistently warn you before dropping one or the other in your lap and refusing to let you look away.
The answer is a lot. White Pines is touted as cosmic-folk-celtic-fantasy-cult-horror, and it ticks all of those boxes. More importantly, it does so without leaving the reader lost, confused, or overwhelmed. Considering the amount packed in, the story is surprisingly linear, following Megan as she moves to her grandmother’s cottage of Taigh Faire. What starts quietly escalates so gradually that the reader doesn’t necessarily know it’s happening until Amor flips the switch and the ride goes properly off the rails.
Amor excels writing female leads, which I realize is an odd thing to say. Her protagonists are strong, yet flawed. Like any good lead, they learn about themselves as the reader does, and even if you can’t put your finger on precisely why, you root for them. Megan is no exception, and even though the main events are spurred on by outside forces, it’s still very clearly Megan’s journey that remains at the forefront.
My one complaint seems a bit trifling, but White Pines does lack a little bit of the urgency that made me fall in love with the author’s shorter work. Trifling, because it’s a novel. Of course it’s not going to be paced the same as a work one quarter the size. It’s a wonderful story, but I’m not sure it will stick with me in the same way Dear Laura has.
The avalanche of potential sub-genre labels might overwhelm some readers so let me say that even though it does tick all those boxes, folk and fantasy horror are the best descriptors. As always, Amor packs emotion and brutal horror into the story, and doesn’t consistently warn you before dropping one or the other in your lap and refusing to let you look away.