Review: “The Factory”

OK, y’all … This is a strange one. I’m not even sure how to classify “The Factory” by Hiroko Oyamada. I think I will be perpetually confused by this book. I see a lot of folks describe this as Kafka-esque. Maybe that means something to y’all.

Oyamada gives us a peek inside this vague factory as we follow three new employees and share their experience. As the story progresses – and I use that word with the loosest of meanings – the work these new employees are tasked with becomes more meaningless, the workers become less human and the lines of reality become more blurry.

I’m sure “The Factory” is a commentary or an allegory for the modern corporate machine … but it’s too abstract a tale for me to surmise what exactly the message is supposed to be. Maybe I’m not as smart as I think I am.

Seriously, I can’t even give a good summary of the plot because my first thought when I finished “The Factory” was “What the hell did I just read?!” I felt like I was back in lit class with no idea what the professor was talking about. Every instance of symbolism or imagery I tried to seize on felt forced or like I was reaching for meaning. Maybe that was the point. I don’t know.

There were some gems buried in the murky muck, like some great language and phrases. But they were not enough to save this book for me.

And the format drove me INSANE! Long blocks of text, quickly shifting narratives with no attempt to make smooth transitions. Maybe that was all intentional, but it made it incredibly difficult to follow along. A book that should have taken me two or three hours to read took me DAYS because the format was so maddening.

Look, I’m sure there are folks who LOVE this book. I’m just not one of them. I appreciate what I think Oyamada was trying to do, but it’s still a miss for me. The good news is, “The Factory” satisfies the “a non-European novel in translation” criteria on the 2021 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge.

I would suggest only picking this book up if you enjoy being confused and frustrated constantly.

2 out of 5 stars

Review: “The Sun Down Motel”

“The Sun Down Motel” by Simone St. James was all over my Instagram feed last year, so I finally gave in and read it. It was … OK.

The premise is interesting. Carly travels to upstate New York to find out what happened to her aunt, Vivian, 35 years ago. Vivian, the night clerk at the Sun Down Motel, went missing during the middle of her shift. After Carly’s mother dies, the young woman uproots herself to move to Fell, NY, to solve this family cold case. Oh. And the motel is SUPER haunted.

This book was a struggle for me. It’s written in an unconventional format. The perspective shifts between first-person (when told from Carly’s point of view) and third-person (when told from Viv’s point of view). The perspective flipping is complicated even more as we hop from past to present and back again. I found it to be a little disorienting and hard to follow at times.

I did really like the mystery that spanned decades. Did Viv run away? Was she murdered? Is her disappearance connected to a string of other murders in the area? The murder-mystery thread that connects our protagonists definitely kept me on my toes.

Which is why I don’t understand the ghosts? The primary plot is enough on its own, so the addition of the supernatural element seemed … too much. The potential serial killer and the nearly abandoned motel are creepy and unnerving enough. Throwing in ghosts was unnecessary. The only reason for the haunting, in my opinion, is to propel readers through the ending in a haphazard attempt to fill in plot holes.

That being said, however, I didn’t hate this book. If you’re looking for a creepy, female-driven mystery, “The Sun Down Motel” checks that box.

3 out of 5 stars

Review: “The Only Good Indians”

OK, obvi I’ve been on a bit of a horror kick lately. That’s just were I am at this point in the pandemic, OK? Anyway …

This was a weird one. Good, but weird. If you’re a linear thinking/reader, “The Only Good Indians” by Stephen Graham Jones might frustrate you.

I intentionally didn’t look up anything about this book before diving in because I wanted to come at it with an unbiased perspective. This was not at all the story I’d been expecting.

Full disclosure: I listened to the audiobook, and I’m so glad I did. Shaun Taylor-Corbett’s narration of Jones’ words felt so incredibly authentic. This is a story about a group of American Indian men who are haunted – literally – by a heinous act committed a decade prior. Hearing this story in the voice of an indigenous man made it resonate so much more than I think it would have if I had read the book myself.

Jones’ writing style is wickedly cinematic. I can still picture the scenes he set in vivid detail. His writing is also haunting … to the point that I would feel uneasy while listening to the story and feel compelled to look over my shoulder.

As the four main characters in this book are literally stalked by demons of their past, Jones gives us glimpses of the culture and heritage they either have drifted or run from. This book provided an interesting perspective on the relationships indigenous people have with their ancestry and culture and with the feeling of being caught between that world of ritual and the modern world outside the reservation.

I wasn’t in love with the ending of this one, though. It felt a little disjointed and rushed. It definitely jarred me and confused the hell out of me. But I think that might have been the point.

Overall, “The Only Good Indians” is a good addition to the gothic horror genre. Speaking of which, this book satisfies the “genre novel by an Indigenous, First Nations or Native American author” criteria of the 2021 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge. And the audiobook is definitely the way to go with this one.

3 out of 5 stars

Review: “The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires”

Y’all know I love a good horror story. Typically, stories focus on one central terror with maybe a social issue or two highlighted if the author is any level of “woke.” Grady Hendrix is not a typical author, and “The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires” is not a typical horror story.

I don’t know how Hendrix managed to stuff some of my worst fears in a single story, but he did. The novel centers on Patricia Campbell – a wife and mother doing her best to be a “good Southern woman” in Mount Pleasant, S.C. … in the early 90s. That scenario alone is enough to give me anxiety and palpitations.

The societal judgment and expectations placed on women during the 90s was incredibly unrealistic, and it was downright horrific for Southern women. Throw in a hefty dose of classism and racism, you this book is already a horror show. But did I mention the vampire-like creature preying on children in a poor, black neighborhood. Y’all … Y’ALL!

I enjoyed this book. I really did. It was a great suburban horror. But I definitely had more than one moment where I had to put it down and step away from it.

CONTENT WARNING: There are instances of sexual assault, involuntary institutionalization and child harm in this book. Hendrix handles them carefully and does not include these scenes in a way that feels frivolous or gratuitous. They are integral to the plot and are part of what make this a horror story. That being said, if that isn’t your jam, you might want to skip this read.

This is one of the most disturbing books I’ve read in a long time – and I narrate horror fiction! If you’re a horror fan, definitely pick up “The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires” … and read at your own risk.

4 out of 5 stars

Review: “The Cheerleaders”

Yo! Teenagers today are living live I couldn’t even FATHOM when I was a lowercase B. Seriously, how do they find time to infuse that much drama into their day-to-day? Are y’all OK?

Let’s go ahead and start with a CONTENT WARNING. Kara Thomas’ “The Cheerleaders” might be a young adult novel, but it deals with some seriously mature topics, including murder, suicide and abortion. The kids in this story most definitely are not alright.

At the center of Thomas’ novel is high schooler Monica, who is struggling with current emotional trauma that rips open the wound made by her sister’s apparent suicide five years earlier as well as the deaths of her sister’s four closest friends – all cheerleaders. Things only get more confusing and emotionally raw when Monica discovers the man who was blamed for the murder of two of the cheerleaders might have been innocent and that she might be in danger if the real killer finds out she knows the truth.

Confused? Yeah, I know. It’s a lot to grasp for a teen thriller, but it’s not as convoluted as I’m likely making it sound.

The story is told mostly from Monica’s perspective, with occasional flashbacks to her sister, Jenn’s, point of view. Surprisingly, I dig this approach because it helps piece the mysterious puzzle together and shows how similar yet vastly different Monica and Jean are.

One thing I wasn’t so keen on was the predictability of the progression of the story. I know, I know. I’m one of those people who’s always trying to figure out the plot twist before the big reveal. But I know I’m not the only one who saw the ending coming fore I hit the halfway point of the novel.

All in all, “The Cheerleaders” is a decent, fun read … especially if you’re looking for a distraction everyday life.

3 out of 5 stars