Stormi and I were both eager to give this month's read a try. Unfortunately, I think it worked out better for me than it did her. So read on for my thoughts and then go check out Stormi's at Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My!
TITLE: The Only Good Indians
AUTHOR: Stephen Graham Jones
PUBLISHER: Gallery/Saga Press
PUBLISHING DATE: July 14, 2020
FROM GOODREADS:
The creeping horror of Paul Tremblay meets Tommy Orange’s There There in a dark novel of revenge, cultural identity, and the cost of breaking from tradition in this latest novel from the Jordan Peele of horror literature, Stephen Graham Jones.
Seamlessly blending classic horror and a dramatic narrative with sharp social commentary, The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.
The creeping horror of Paul Tremblay meets Tommy Orange’s There There in a dark novel of revenge, cultural identity, and the cost of breaking from tradition in this latest novel from the Jordan Peele of horror literature, Stephen Graham Jones.
Seamlessly blending classic horror and a dramatic narrative with sharp social commentary, The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.
MY THOUGHTS: I'm going to be honest, I almost don't know how to review this book. I knew very little about it going in and you can see, the synopsis doesn't give much away. The cover initially caught my attention and then the book itself started getting a lot of buzz. All I knew was that being a horror lover, I couldn't wait to read it.
I think going into this book blind actually increased my enjoyment. I'll admit that I was kind of confused in the beginning but after the first 50 pages or so, it started to fall into place. However, it wasn't until the end of the novel that the full gravity of what I had read hit me. The Only Good Indians tells the tale of four American Indian individuals who as teens, went hunting on sacred land. When they were caught, they were forbidden to ever hunt again, yet for one of them, the weight of what they did weighed more heavily. Now these Blackfeet men are older, have moved on and are living their own lives. But are they safe from what happened years ago??
This book is broken down into different parts and at first, it felt like novellas woven together to form one cohesive tale. And I guess maybe it could be looked at like that. The reader is able to see both of the current day activities as well as the past experiences for various POVs. The format worked well for me as I tend to love it when books show various time periods throughout. One by one we see these men face their fears and struggle to come out the other side.
The book is also so strongly founded in Native American culture. The beliefs and customs are so deeply and play such a pertinent part in the story. I felt for each character in a different way and even though the book was totally terrifying in places, I still had a hard time feeling completely sorry for what the men were experiencing. I could see all sides and honestly, this is a tale that will stick with me for a long time.
I think this book is begging to be made into a movie and if it is, I'm there for it. I'll anxiously sit and watch and probably tell my husband at least a time or two the book is better. Because honestly, I don't know if a film can truly encompass the atmosphere and tone of The Only Good Indians.
If you love horror then you seriously need to consider picking this book up.
I received a copy of the book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
RATING: 4 PAWS
ANIMAL ABUSE TRIGGER WARNING: There are multiple disturbing and graphic dog deaths/animal abuse in this novel. I wasn't forewarned and admit that it probably brought my rating down a notch as that is something that severely bothers me. However, I would still recommend the book so that tells you how much I loved it.
