Today, I have my draft review of a second novel that is an excellent choice for all library collections.nThis review appears in print and online in the March 1, 2023 issue of Booklist. Here is my draft review with additional appeal and readalike info including my three words.
By Rachel Eve Moulton
First published March 1, 2023 (Booklist).
After numerous accolades for her first novel Tinfoil Butterfly, Moulton returns channeling classic Shirley Jackson with a guest appearance by Lovecraft. B.B. and Henrie, the Volt Sisters, are the last in the line of the founding family of Fowler Island in Lake Erie, macabrely famous for the mysterious disappearance of its female visitors, including B.B.’s own mother. Opening in 2000 B.B. contacts Henrie about the death of their father. Henrie agrees to return home, bringing her mother, Carrie. Told in two time frames, 2000 and 1989– the year Henire and her mother escaped the island, and from the perspective of four realistically flawed women-- B.B. Henrie, Carrie, and the island’s museum curator, Sonia-- readers will be immediately hooked by the women, the place, and the dark, mysterious history that surrounds it all. As details are slowly unveiled, this weird tale morphs from unsettling to terrifying as a monstrous explosion erupts from its core, propelling the story to its satisfying finish. A timely, haunting fable about women fighting back, uniting to defeat their demons, this is a perfect suggestion for fans of Rachel Harrison, Gwendolyn Kiste, and Lucy Snyder.
Further Appeal: As mentioned above, this is Moulton's second novel. The first, Tinfoil Butterfly, I reviewed here, and it was WEIRD (in a good way). It made the Shirley Jackson ballot and the Stoker Award ballot and the Center for Fiction First novel prize ballot. She got every accolade for that novel, and I am here to tell you that this one is WAY more accessible to a general audience.
Other appeal notes from when I was reading this book:
- Starts very uneasily. There is clearly a huge problem. Once that is bigger than what we are seeing. We know this, and so, we are hooked. Gets creepy, and then unsettling, and then there is a Monster explosion. It has a little bit of everything in terms of Horror appeal, but in a good way.
- The island is a character and it is FASCINATING.
- Haunting turns into terrifying and even though you know something big is coming, it is still an original and pleasant Horror fueled surprise.
- It is not what you expect at first. Seems quirky, slightly askew, weird, but clearly unsettling andd then BAM!
- Has a fable feel– a very scary fable with real monsters– about sister, women, place, inheritance, family secrets and regaining power over a curse.
- Yes they defeat a monster, and it is a real monster not a metaphor, but the story is also a metaphor for women who have been oppressed to rise up, speak up, and fight, for each other and themselves.
- Very emotion driven
- Four female protagonists– all realistically flawed (and they are aware of their flaws) and all relatable, Well developed and honest portrayal of complicated feelings and situations. Resolves with all of them being forced to confront their faults and fight for each other.
- There is a power in ALL of the women working together. Even the dead ones.
Three Words That Describe This Book: unsettling, strong sense of place, 4 flawed but relatable female narrators
Readalikes: Besides what is above and linked in the review, I found that the themes were very similar to Lone Women by Victor LaValle, which I reviewed in the Feb 1 issue of Booklist and here.
Here are a few more titles and authors this book made me think of:
- Little Eve by Ward
- Plain Bad Heroines by Danforth
- The Hollow Kind by Davidson
- Frankenstein in Baghdad by Saadawi
- The weird, slightly askew vibes of Hannah Tinti's work
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