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A review by mazza
Juniper by Ross Jeffery
4.0
Completely bizarre yet utterly gripping, Juniper is a book that you won't forget in a hurry.
I read it in just two, intense sittings; the pages flowed into one another as the eerie town of Juniper was bought to life, and the strange happenings were unearthed with electrifying prose.
This is a novel which aims to shock - whether that be through the exquisite details in the gruesome scenes ("there were carcasses piled high in every wagon, blood sloshing around, dripping out around the tailgates, leaving a bloody trail from the forest to the square.") or the dark and sinister insights into our oddball characters ("she'd get to bash them, break their bones, submerge them thrashing within the water, hurt them good and proper."), Juniper draws on all the senses to completely emerge the reader in the fascinatingly horrific narrative.
The pace is slow and steady, building on the heat and the frustration of the setting and characters, before erupting into a highly charged, impactful ending - with an interesting and unique twist.
The character voices are distinctive and well-considered, perfect for their hopeless environment, and I liked the fact that we weren't overwhelmed with an abundance of personalities; instead, the novel focuses on just a handful, allowing us to explore their nuanced and layered personalities and really invest in their stories.
This isn't a novel for the fainted-hearted - Juniper is peppered with shocking scenes and descriptions that may make for uncomfortable reading for some. However, luckily for me, this is exactly the kind of writing that I cherish - the more gut-wrenching, the better I say!
Excited to see what more comes of the little town of Juniper.
I read it in just two, intense sittings; the pages flowed into one another as the eerie town of Juniper was bought to life, and the strange happenings were unearthed with electrifying prose.
This is a novel which aims to shock - whether that be through the exquisite details in the gruesome scenes ("there were carcasses piled high in every wagon, blood sloshing around, dripping out around the tailgates, leaving a bloody trail from the forest to the square.") or the dark and sinister insights into our oddball characters ("she'd get to bash them, break their bones, submerge them thrashing within the water, hurt them good and proper."), Juniper draws on all the senses to completely emerge the reader in the fascinatingly horrific narrative.
The pace is slow and steady, building on the heat and the frustration of the setting and characters, before erupting into a highly charged, impactful ending - with an interesting and unique twist.
The character voices are distinctive and well-considered, perfect for their hopeless environment, and I liked the fact that we weren't overwhelmed with an abundance of personalities; instead, the novel focuses on just a handful, allowing us to explore their nuanced and layered personalities and really invest in their stories.
This isn't a novel for the fainted-hearted - Juniper is peppered with shocking scenes and descriptions that may make for uncomfortable reading for some. However, luckily for me, this is exactly the kind of writing that I cherish - the more gut-wrenching, the better I say!
Excited to see what more comes of the little town of Juniper.