Root Rot is a hard book to review. Its a book that gives you little bits of information about the characters and builds up the setting with evocative writing. The setting is the main character, the atmosphere and tension are the stars of the show. Saskia Nislow does a wonderful job of bringing the forest and lake house to life.

The story is told through the point of view of the children. All cousins, they have come with their families to the grandfather's lake house. No character is referred to by their name, just a little nickname that happens to tell you a bit about who they are. Like The Liar, The Girl twin, The Baby. The parents are in the background, hardly mentioned. 

From the moment they arrive they notice some things are off with the house and forest, they see things out of the corner of their eyes, feel uneasy, but no cousin wants to stand out, so they don't mention anything. They don't want to rock the boat. Slowly the forest seems to take them over. So much of this book is hinted at. Family problems, grief, and identity are themes that are never really openly discussed but they are all tied throughout the story. So much of this story happens internally. It was odd, and quite different to what i have read before.

I think the horror genre is hard for me to review because I rate them based of vibes. Root Rot brings the oppressive tension, the feeling of time running out, the sense of it all being inevitable.

Thank you to the author and netgalley for this arc.