Toni Morrison, Beloved (1987)

Trigger warnings follow the book review.

How should we categorize Beloved? Its opening pages designate it as a paranormal novel. Sethe, a woman who escaped enslavement on the terrifying Sweet Home plantation, lives with her teenage daughter, Denver, in their Cincinnati house. However, their home also hosts a vengeful presence: the ghost of Sethe’s infant daughter. Like a magician flourishing her best tricks, the spirit draws from the classics of ghostly activity. Mirrors shatter. Handprints appear in cakes. And, in the baby’s strongest expression of rage, the house shakes. But early on, Paul D–a man who was enslaved alongside Sethe and with whom she develops a complicated romance–arrives and seemingly banishes the ghost. Mere chapters later, Beloved again veers into the paranormal, but with a flesh-and-blood twist. A woman appears at Sethe’s house, whose name–Beloved–mirrors the epitaph on Sethe’s daughter’s tombstone, and who is chillingly adept at bonding with Denver, chasing Paul D away, emotionally manipulating Sethe, and overindulging her sense of abandonment and anger… Continue reading “Toni Morrison, Beloved (1987)” →

Donald Ray Pollock, The Devil All the Time

Good people rarely have happy endings.

The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock is a deliciously repulsive collection of stories that showcases what truly desperate people do at their lowest point. Pollock’s historical thriller is constructed in seven separate parts, each with its own characters and decade, all taking place in rural Ohio. This novel is filled with horror, gore, and depravity, making it unsuitable for those with a weak stomach. The characters span from a serial-killing couple to a psychotic, sacrificial preacher, and while the book does bounce from person to person, it also follows one main character. Pollock loosely traces the life of Arvin, the traumatized protagonist, from birth to adulthood, detailing the horrors he witnesses and endures.
 Continue reading “Donald Ray Pollock, The Devil All the Time” →

Peter O’Mahoney, The Southern Killer

Content Warning

Subjects of rape, murder, and gangs

Plot Summary

Peter O’Mahoney’s unstoppable criminal defense attorney, Joe Hennessy, is back to fight against the criminal justice system in a corrupted battle of cops and gangs. Hennessy returns to Charleston, South Carolina for more intense courtroom action. He unexpectedly runs across information on the unsolved murder of his son. Desperate to receive this information, Hennessy is demanded to take on Alicia Fenton’s murder trial case, in which she claims self-defense for the execution of her sexually and physically abusive stepfather. In a final venture to reveal his son’s killer after 20 years of restless grief, Hennessy attempts everything he can to prove 18-year-old Alicia Fenton’s innocence through self-defense. Will Hennessy live up to the task? Or will he fail his son once again? Continue reading “Peter O’Mahoney, The Southern Killer” →

David Joy, Those We Thought We Knew (2023)

“What happens when the people you’ve always known turn out to be monsters, what do you do when everything you ever believed crumbles away?”

David Joy’s Those We Thought We Knew follows a young Black artist from Atlanta named Toya who returns to her home in the Appalachian Mountains in order to trace her history and unveil the systemic bigotry present even in the most unexpected people.

Through alternating perspectives throughout the novel, the reader gets to know, and ultimately trust, the inhabitants of Sylva, North Carolina. Some of the more significant characters include Sheriff John Coggins, the upstanding yet proud pillar of law enforcement and long-time friend of Toya’s grandfather; detective Leah Green, who appears later in the novel to solve one of its tragic crimes; and my personal favorite, Vess, Toya’s anxiously devoted grandmother. The reader slowly learns about the story’s events through the independent knowledge and experiences of each character. However, we additionally get to feel sympathetic toward or even betrayed by some of them in a way that mirrors how the characters feel about one another.

The novel’s Southern mountainous setting is brimful with Confederate monuments, corrupted government officials, and hatred-driven cults many would expect to accompany a small, rural community in the South. Whether the reader has been a part of these communities themselves, or identifies with Toya’s perspective on the community as an outsider, Joy allows everyone to be enveloped in the dynamics of this town. I got a clear mental image of each character while reading—their appearance, their voice, and their personality—as if I know them myself. Continue reading “David Joy, Those We Thought We Knew (2023)” →

Greg Iles, True Evil

Plot Summary:

True Evil by Greg Iles is a psychological crime thriller. The novel follows Dr. Chris Shepard, a man with the perfect wife, a beautiful child, and his own practice. Everything is perfect, except for the fact that his wife is plotting his murder. FBI Agent Alexandra Morse discovered that a local divorce attorney named Andrew Rusk has a trail of clients whose spouses died from seemingly natural causes, not long after meeting with him. One of those clients happened to be Agent Morse’s own brother-in-law – and now her sister is dead. Special Agent Morse is on a warpath to solve this mystery, and in doing so tells Dr. Shepard of his wife’s murder plot. Will Dr. Shepard help Agent Morse on her investigation, or will he ignore the signs and become the next victim in this bone- chilling murder plot? Continue reading “Greg Iles, True Evil” →

John Hart, The Hush

“What did you see in those terrible places?”

 

In John Hart’s evocative novel, The Hush, readers follow Johnny Merrimon, a now-grown man residing alone on the six-thousand-acre expanse of Hush Arbor, North Carolina. When people venture into The Hush and never make it out, Johnny uncovers long-buried secrets that threaten to destroy everything he has ever known. 

Set in the same world as Hart’s preceding novel, The Lost Child, The Hush follows up on the adolescent adventures of Johnny and his best friend, Jack Cross. Readers who have followed Johnny and Jack from the beginning are invited to explore their evergreen friendship 10 years later, but if you’re like me and have not read The Last Child before— do not worry! It was a pleasant surprise to receive all the necessary context and backstory to understand the events of The Hush.  Continue reading “John Hart, The Hush” →

Mary Kay Andrews, The Homewreckers

Hattie Cavanaugh was only twenty-five when she became a widow, but she continued working for her father in-law renovating old homes and preserving the history of Savannah, Georgia. After a project ended in ruins and shook Hattie’s confidence, she got an offer she couldn’t refuse (even if she wanted to): star in a beach home renovation show called “The Homewreckers”. She’ll co-host with a hot shot from Los Angeles, Trae, who will drive her crazy. Or drive her right into his arms. And a producer, Mo, who hates everything about onscreen romance – or is he fighting his own jealousy? No one expects that this home renovation will stir up a murder that happened many years ago. The house preserves not only Savannah’s history but also hidden bodies and betrayal. Continue reading “Mary Kay Andrews, The Homewreckers” →

George Dawes Green, The Kingdoms of Savannah

 

The Book

Set in the summer heat of Savannah, Georgia, The Kingdoms of Savannah is a critique of the city’s dark history and an enthralling mystery. As the title suggests, this is very much a book about Savannah, almost to a fault. The landmarks, touchpoints, and local features are highlighted throughout, like the A-Hole, the Cathedral, River Street, and the numerous antebellum mansions. While this is a crime and mystery novel, the plot could not occur anywhere else as the story and characters are intertwined with their environment and complex history.  Continue reading “George Dawes Green, The Kingdoms of Savannah” →

Ann Cobb, Bee’s Business (2013)

All has been quiet and peaceful in the small town of Jeffersonville, GA, for the past several  years. The most recent church circle gossip being one of the church members wearing pants and a new preacher whose sermons are unbearably boring. Suddenly, the town is plagued with multiple robberies and even a murder (oh my heavens!), which the incompetent sheriff is in no hurry to resolve. By way of nosiness and perseverance, Mrs. Bee Martin finds herself as the detective in the middle of the town mystery alongside her sister, Bess. 

In her debut novel, Bee’s Business, Ann Cobb travels through time to write about a place when life was slow, simple, and routine. This is a book that I didn’t want to end because of the fun characters dialogue, and my enjoyment of the world Cobb created. Although I am likely biased because the author is my grandmother whom I have looked up to all my life, I believe she created an entertaining story with vivid and descriptive writing. This light-hearted read would be a perfect book to read beside a pool or after a long day’s work. Continue reading “Ann Cobb, Bee’s Business (2013)” →