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A review by dani_geigs
Nowhere by Allison Gunn
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content warnings include gore, murder, domestic violence, suicide, homophobia, and the death of children.
Nowhere is a creepy, thrilling debut set in a small, tight-knit community that doesn't take kindly to outsiders, such as their Chief of Police and her family. While the book draws on Appalachian folklore for the supernatural components of the story, much of the horror of Nowhere comes from the characters' personal demons, the distrust the town has for the Kennans, and the way individuals handle tragedy (spoiler: not well). Each character was both sympathetic and flawed, particularly Chief Rachel and her husband Finn, and I was often left frustrated at the choices they made, especially when someone let their own assumptions get in the way. I hate miscommunication tropes where characters would be fine if they just talked to each other, but because the story was told from so many points of view, it was clear what each person's motivations were even while the reader knows what's happening from another perspective.
Also, this was also one of the creepiest stories I've read in a while! Gunn's descriptive writing really brought the creepy children and ancient forest beings to life; don't read this one at bedtime!
Thank you to Atria Books and Edelweiss for providing a DRC for review!
Nowhere is a creepy, thrilling debut set in a small, tight-knit community that doesn't take kindly to outsiders, such as their Chief of Police and her family. While the book draws on Appalachian folklore for the supernatural components of the story, much of the horror of Nowhere comes from the characters' personal demons, the distrust the town has for the Kennans, and the way individuals handle tragedy (spoiler: not well). Each character was both sympathetic and flawed, particularly Chief Rachel and her husband Finn, and I was often left frustrated at the choices they made, especially when someone let their own assumptions get in the way. I hate miscommunication tropes where characters would be fine if they just talked to each other, but because the story was told from so many points of view, it was clear what each person's motivations were even while the reader knows what's happening from another perspective.
Also, this was also one of the creepiest stories I've read in a while! Gunn's descriptive writing really brought the creepy children and ancient forest beings to life; don't read this one at bedtime!
Thank you to Atria Books and Edelweiss for providing a DRC for review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Suicide, Murder