A review by holly_pop
Blackwater: The Complete Caskey Family Saga by Michael McDowell

slow-paced

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

4.5

2025, Book 41: Blackwater: The Complete Saga, by Michael McDowell. I recently discovered Michael McDowell, and this is the third book of his I have read. It was originally published as six novella-length chapters, so it's quite a tome (even in ebook form). I'm a little obsessed with this book, which is sort of like Steel Magnolias meets The Shape of Water. Blackwater is the multigenerational saga of the Caskey family of Perdido, Alabama, and the eventual head and family matriarch, Elinor Dammert Caskey. But Elinor is more than what she seems. This is billed as horror, but I honestly didn't think it was scary at all. The more horror-y scenes are interspersed with lengthy descriptions of the Caskey family's activities, interactions, and struggles; if you're looking for horror that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this isn't it. I would even venture that aspects of the book approach magical realism rather than horror. Like the characters in McDowell's book The Elementals, the Caskeys are vividly drawn; if there is a flaw in the characterization, it is in the depth of the portrayals of the Black characters, pretty much all of whom are devoted servants/employees of the Caskeys. For example, I would love to have heard more of Zaddie's thoughts/point of view about all that went on from the time she was hired to rake sand in the yard and run messages as a child through 50+ years of cooking and keeping house for the Caskeys. Overall though, the book had me riveted.