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abbie_ 's review for:
The Only Good Indians
by Stephen Graham Jones
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
(#gifted @librofm) If you're looking for another read to squeeze into the spookiest month of them all, then let Stephen Graham Jones take you on a terrifying journey of vengeance and trauma that you won't forget any time soon. Even if you can't squeeze it into October, read it anyway - have a spooky old Christmas!
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The Only Good Indians follows four Blackfeet men in the decade after a fateful hunting incident. On what becomes known among the four as the Thanksgiving Classic, Lewis, Gabe, Cass and Ricky ignore the land restrictions on their reservation and come across a windfall of elk on land reserved for tribal elders. Over the years that follow, the decision they made that day will reverberate through their lives with tragic repercussions.
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Jones allows the reader a peek inside the heads of all the men, but Lewis was my favourite - and his story haunted me the most. Books which can accomplish several things in one go always impress me, and the way Jones balances sheer horror with thoughtful social commentary is brilliant. The effects of intergenerational trauma and racism permeate these pages, as impossible to look away from as any of the gory and blood-soaked scenes.
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Mind you, there's horror imagery within this book which continued to haunt me even when I stopped reading, and that final showdown had me gripped until it was over. This book is best cracked open (or... pressed play on? The narration by Shaun Taylor-Corbett is superb!) without much knowledge of the terror that's to come, on a dark evening when who knows what might be lurking...
Graphic: Animal death, Gore