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Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor & Forge for allowing me to read this ARC!
Content Warning: violence, murder, death, suicide, gore, recreational use of drugs and alcohol, homophobia (including slurs), racism, misogyny, cancer, animal death, child abuse, body horror.
I struggled writing the summary for this one, as there's so much to it that so few words doesn't do it justice. Although this story is primarily about Andrew and Eddie, who share a fraught background and a sort of dark magic, it's also a rumination on the traditions of Southern Gothics and the occult. When I saw so many people comparing this to The Raven Boys, more specifically mentioning that the characters and relationships are reminiscent of my favorite of the boys, Ronan Lynch, I was thrilled to give this a try. For me, this novel was a full, even three stars, but I was slightly disappointed because I'd expected it to be something I would automatically click with.
Mandelo's writing is beautiful; there's no other descriptor that fully and simply explains the stylistic writing and lovely vocabulary at use here. However, in spite of this, I sometimes found it hard to connect with any of the characters. It was almost as if the prose came first, and somehow, its sleekness left me feeling a bit distanced from what was actually happening. The first 50% to 60% of this book was intriguing, but something of a slog, making it hard for me to want to pick it back up once I'd put it down. I don't mind slow-burns, but in this case, the pacing was off for me, and that had a big impact on how much I enjoyed the reading process.
Talking about the characterization, I have to say flat-out that I didn't like Andrew. Even his intense suffering over Eddie's death (and his secrets) didn't conjure up much sympathy for me. I understood that Mandelo was trying to show us just how caught up in each other Andrew and Eddie were -- to the point of outright ignoring and hurting others -- but it was hard for me to empathize with a man who blatantly uses and behaves cruelly to those in his life who love him. One of the characters (who takes a very minor role), Del, is a perfect example of Andrew's disregard for others: she obviously cares for him, and makes an effort to both be in his life and try to offer him advice and healing, but Andrew treats her so badly it honestly made me angry. There's also some casual remarks that Andrew makes in his narration that were misogynistic and, frankly, both frustrating and boring to read.
The worse part of it all is that the last portion of the book is actually unflinchingly painful and wonderfully realized. I began to like Andrew, and to understand him; the relationships he built with the other friends Eddie had left behind were touching and authentic; his coming to terms with his sexuality was sweet and frightening and real. The haunting, too, becomes more tangible; the end "twist" was not surprising nor original, but in combination with all of those other things, it was more than enough to make up for that small detail. The exploration of toxic masculinity was interesting enough, but it was the discussion of racism and the South's legacy that set this apart from other Southern Gothics. The haunted land, tormented by a past (and present) of racism and the pain and suffering of slavery, was well-done, although I think that aspect could've taken a larger and more important role.
So, an imperfect novel, yes, but with Mandelo's talent, I would be happy to read what they have to offer next. Some things in this book didn't work for me, but for a large part of people interested in this, I think they'll love it. If you like slow-burn Southern Gothics that touch on the South's bloody history, explore the pitfalls and beautiful things about discovering who you are, and how grief can control us, I'd recommend you pick this one up.
Mandelo's writing is beautiful; there's no other descriptor that fully and simply explains the stylistic writing and lovely vocabulary at use here. However, in spite of this, I sometimes found it hard to connect with any of the characters. It was almost as if the prose came first, and somehow, its sleekness left me feeling a bit distanced from what was actually happening. The first 50% to 60% of this book was intriguing, but something of a slog, making it hard for me to want to pick it back up once I'd put it down. I don't mind slow-burns, but in this case, the pacing was off for me, and that had a big impact on how much I enjoyed the reading process.
Talking about the characterization, I have to say flat-out that I didn't like Andrew. Even his intense suffering over Eddie's death (and his secrets) didn't conjure up much sympathy for me. I understood that Mandelo was trying to show us just how caught up in each other Andrew and Eddie were -- to the point of outright ignoring and hurting others -- but it was hard for me to empathize with a man who blatantly uses and behaves cruelly to those in his life who love him. One of the characters (who takes a very minor role), Del, is a perfect example of Andrew's disregard for others: she obviously cares for him, and makes an effort to both be in his life and try to offer him advice and healing, but Andrew treats her so badly it honestly made me angry. There's also some casual remarks that Andrew makes in his narration that were misogynistic and, frankly, both frustrating and boring to read.
The worse part of it all is that the last portion of the book is actually unflinchingly painful and wonderfully realized. I began to like Andrew, and to understand him; the relationships he built with the other friends Eddie had left behind were touching and authentic; his coming to terms with his sexuality was sweet and frightening and real. The haunting, too, becomes more tangible; the end "twist" was not surprising nor original, but in combination with all of those other things, it was more than enough to make up for that small detail. The exploration of toxic masculinity was interesting enough, but it was the discussion of racism and the South's legacy that set this apart from other Southern Gothics. The haunted land, tormented by a past (and present) of racism and the pain and suffering of slavery, was well-done, although I think that aspect could've taken a larger and more important role.
So, an imperfect novel, yes, but with Mandelo's talent, I would be happy to read what they have to offer next. Some things in this book didn't work for me, but for a large part of people interested in this, I think they'll love it. If you like slow-burn Southern Gothics that touch on the South's bloody history, explore the pitfalls and beautiful things about discovering who you are, and how grief can control us, I'd recommend you pick this one up.
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