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jenngivhan 's review for:
Shutter
by Ramona Emerson
My first read of the year—Shutter by Ramona Emerson, a crime thriller longlisted for the National Book Award and highly recommended by one of my fave bookstores in Albuquerque, Books on the Bosque.
I was enthralled by protagonist Rita’s voice & particularly her relationship with her grandmother. Such a moving story. A Diné forensic photographer with a unique & painful connection to the dead. Powerful stuff. Unflinching & sometimes difficult to witness, but I felt every word.
Rita was so funny, and I loved her takes and reads on people. "An enema would have been better than spending any morning with this man." Lol.
I also love what Ramona Emerson herself says about why she writes—so deeply relatable:
“I was drawn to make films about my community because those stories weren’t being told. More importantly, if they were being told, they were being told by people outside of our communities. There are a million films waiting to be made about the extraordinary people who live on the reservation. I don’t have enough time to tell them all, but I work hard to educate people about who we really are. I don’t embrace any notions of poverty porn or the victimization of our people for profit. I tell empowering and positive stories about the people fighting to exist in a country that would rather forget them." (https://booktrib.com/2022/07/29/crime-character-the-supernatural-a-navajo-takes-back-her-story/)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ramona Emerson’s next book Exposure came out last year, a sequel to Shutter, so I’m looking forward to reading it.
I was enthralled by protagonist Rita’s voice & particularly her relationship with her grandmother. Such a moving story. A Diné forensic photographer with a unique & painful connection to the dead. Powerful stuff. Unflinching & sometimes difficult to witness, but I felt every word.
Rita was so funny, and I loved her takes and reads on people. "An enema would have been better than spending any morning with this man." Lol.
I also love what Ramona Emerson herself says about why she writes—so deeply relatable:
“I was drawn to make films about my community because those stories weren’t being told. More importantly, if they were being told, they were being told by people outside of our communities. There are a million films waiting to be made about the extraordinary people who live on the reservation. I don’t have enough time to tell them all, but I work hard to educate people about who we really are. I don’t embrace any notions of poverty porn or the victimization of our people for profit. I tell empowering and positive stories about the people fighting to exist in a country that would rather forget them." (https://booktrib.com/2022/07/29/crime-character-the-supernatural-a-navajo-takes-back-her-story/)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ramona Emerson’s next book Exposure came out last year, a sequel to Shutter, so I’m looking forward to reading it.