T.E. W. (terez93) reviewed on 12/6/2024 + 345 more book reviews

"Pain was the capital letter at the beginning of every sentence, it was the punctuation in between, and the period at the end. We come into this world crying, and though the tears dry up from time to time, there's no such thing as a forever drought."

Most of the novels I've read which are set on indigenous reservations take place in the US Southwest, but this one's a bit different. It's setting is a small rural community located deep in the bayou of Louisiana, where the Broussard family has lived for generations.

It tells the story of two main figures, two parallel but intertwined lives, one set in the mid-eighties and the other in the present-day. Nearly-forty-year-old Noemi Broussard still lives on the reservation, along with her other family members. For the first time in a long time, things were looking up for her: she had a new love and a firm plan to leave the reservation to make a fresh start... until tragedy strikes one stormy night. It appears that her boyfriend Roddy, an up-and-coming news anchorman seven years her junior has been involved in either a tragic accident or an inexplicable suicide, which is incomprehensible to Noemi... but perhaps not to Roddy's sister.

Worse: it is soon discovered that the local tribal graveyard has been desecrated - the graves of Noemi's grandmother, among others, have been plundered, and it doesn't look like the perpetrator was after buried treasure. As it turns out: a number of odd occurrences have befallen the bewildered community over the years. The dead bodies of a number of recently deceased residents, including a developmentally disabled man and an elderly woman inexplicably sit up in their coffins and speak at their wakes. An elderly woman seemingly drowned herself. A little boy willingly crawls into a fire pit... and then there's the disappearance of a local woman, a keeper of tribal traditions and a repository of songs, legends and culture... who has a very odd and reclusive son.

Roddy's untimely death has also coincided with the re-appearance of Noemi's Uncle Louie, who left the reservation years ago to go to college. He hasn't been back for a decade, and his reasons for returning are somewhat unclear. In the present-day story, Louie returns to the community to take part in a tribal pow-wow ceremony, and happens to be on hand when niece Noemi gets the devastating news about Roddy. However, Louie has some disturbing stories to tell, stemming from terrifying events that befell him and other community members in his childhood.

The novel takes the form of two parallel stories: that of Louie, a sixteen-year-old boy growing up in the mid-eighties, who bears the burden of caring for himself and his family members, and his niece, Noemi, the daughter of Louie's sister Lula, who, at the time Louie's story is being told, is a single teen mother. To make matters worse, Louie and Lula's mother is slowly succumbing to the ravages of alcoholism, leaving the children to largely fend for themselves. As things begin to unravel on the reservation, however, Louie comes to the terrifying realization that all is not what it seems, and that the old ways are indeed still alive and well.

This well-written and engaging novel successfully weaves the threads of two parallel lives into a cohesive and heartbreaking story, incorporating elements of horror and drama, the latter of which is as disturbing as the supernatural forces which seem to be plaguing the beleaguered community. The generational dysfunction the novel describes is simultaneously lamentable, yet relatable to many who have shared similar experiences. As such, parts of this book are intense, but highly credible and realistic. Untimely death, hopelessness, inescapable poverty and deprivation, substance abuse, suicide, and many other troubles which plague indigenous communities are accurately portrayed, but in a genuine rather than salacious manner.

The novel also respectfully features aspects of Native American mythologies, most of which I was totally unfamiliar with, from this part of the country, which definitely enhances the horror aspects of the novel. Louie's childhood account focuses more heavily on the supernatural elements of the story than Noemi's present-day account, but hers involves far more personal tragedy, making it more realistic and relatable. The first half of the book sets the scene, but moves at a fairly slow pace. That said, be patient: the surprise ending is more than worth the wait.

Definitely recommended for those interested in novels featuring indigenous communities and horror aficionados, as this one fits the bill in both respects.

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