Growing up on a Louisiana Indian reservation in the 1980s, Louie finds himself burdened with more than most other teenagers. His father is absent from his life, while his mother drinks herself into oblivion and mostly ignores him. He gets along well enough with his sister, Lula, but she is more interested in going out than watching her young daughter Noemi, and so often leaves the girl in his care. Things don’t get any easier for him, as strange occurrences begin to pile up around the community. Someone has been desecrating graves, including Louie’s grandmother’s, and a wave of unusual and tragic deaths begins afflicting the tribe. Stranger still is that at each of the funerals, the corpses suddenly sit bolt upright in their coffins and seem to speak to those in attendance, Louie in particular.

He grows suspicious that the legend of a local vampire may be true as he begins seeing eerie signs all around him, but his kindly and wise grandfather and his rebellious best friend both insist that can’t be true and try to take his mind off of the matter. His morbidly obese neighbor Ern, who has extensive knowledge of the tribe and its legends and whose own mother has mysteriously gone missing, is more open to the idea. Or at least remains non-committal one way or the other.

In the present day, Noemi is now middle-aged and still living with Lula in the family home when she is informed that her boyfriend has died under suspicious circumstances. Though it ostensibly looks like an accident, some signs point to it possibly being a suicide. Noemi refuses to believe that based on what she knows of him, but as she digs further into it, she begins to doubt her once strong convictions. When her uncle Louie suddenly returns home, the past is brought back out into the light, and she hopes that his experiences all those decades before might shine some light on what has happened to her partner.

Mixing tribal lore with mainstream mythology, Medina crafts a creepy and original tale that is able to maintain an eerie and suspenseful atmosphere throughout. As is the case with much modern horror, the supernatural thrills take a backseat to the story’s human drama, which here is handled with care and proves more than compelling enough on its own. Medina doesn’t shy away from heavy topics like suicide and alcoholism, both of which afflict Native Americans at much higher rates than the rest of the population. There are myriad potential reasons for this, but here the author examines it through the lens of feelings of isolation, entrapment, and futility, as well as generational trauma.

Much like the legends he references, Medina’s story is designed to teach us a lesson: We can’t run from our pasts or our problems, no matter how hard we try; the only way to come out the other side is to face them head on. In imparting this wisdom upon us, he has crafted a memorable and moving story that is populated with characters who feel real, anchored by a mystery that will keep readers riveted.

Indian Burial Ground is a truly haunting tale of mythology that also addresses trauma, suicide, and alcoholism. This book was equal parts disturbing and heartbreaking. Nick Medina's writing is so realistic that you can really get a feel for the characters, and he is adept at portraying the affects of trauma on the reservation as a whole. This was an excellent read and I highly recommend it. I already ordered this for my library and am pleased to say that it has been popular with our patrons,

Nick is a great author. I loved seeing characters from Sisters of the Lost Nation in Indian Burial Ground. The writing is powerful and the storytelling draws you in. Can't wait to read more!

Thank you so much to Berkley Pub for the complimentary copy of the book!
Thank you so much to PRH Audio for the complimentary audio of the book!

"Do you think life is pain broken up by moments of happiness, or happiness interspersed with moments of pain?"

Sigh. This was such an anticipated read for me but I just felt like it just was a book not for me at this time.

This book takes place in two timelines except you don't really know its the past until you start to listen to Louie's point of view. I do wish that the book and the audiobook indicated it was in the past and the timeline (the year maybe). And the other timeline is in present day through Noemi's voice. Her timeline was much more interesting to me and it could very well be because of my struggle with the audio.

I did find the context of the text to be very interesting and I was into it but it was just so hard to stay focus with the audio to really enjoy. Yes I know I could have turned off the audio and read with solely my eyes but I didn't.

I think part of my struggle with this book was the male narrator for Louie. I just could not get into the cadence of his voice and it made me not want to keep. And then in the contrast the female narrator was excellent. I love her tone & thought it was an easy listen when she would speak.

Medina highlighted the experiences that a lot of Native Americans face with alcoholism, drug abuse and high suicide rates which I felt is important to include.

Please look at other reviews to judge if you should read this or not as I know I am not providing the best review. But I will say if you decide to read this, I recommend just reading with your eyes.

I want to go back and read Sister of the Lost Nation and will likely read his work again in the future.
I am not deterred from reading his work.

I really enjoyed this one! I'm an avid horror fan so I don't mind the creep and gore. I love diving into cultural folklore and this provided that in spaces. This would make a fantastic movie. I look forward to reading more from this author..

Thank you @berkelypub for the #gifted copy of the book.

I am completely sold on Nick Medina. I read Sisters of the Lost Nation Last Year and loved it. This one was even better!! It mixed my two favorite genres horror and thrillers. My heart was pounding just like the pow wow drum. Just wow! I am already anticipating his next book.

I am telling you that if you enjoy both genres do NOT miss it!!

The story is told in two timelines, one in the present where Noemi is dealing with her boyfriend's apparent suicide when her Uncle Louie returns to the reservation and the second in the past when Louie went through a traumatic experience that follows him into the present. Overall, a gripping horror set on a reservation where you're not sure if the threat is external or internal. Most of the book you wonder if the menacing force is a physical being or if it's a metaphorical entity and Medina does a great job tying it all together.

Another strong story by Medina. His books read like a tv series that I would watch compulsively. In this story Noemi was looking forward to moving off the reservation until she gets news that her boyfriend apparently committed suicide. With the return of her uncle comes some help in uncovering the truth behind her boyfriend’s death but also unlock many horrors. *side note this book is classified as thriller but there is some paranormal activity to this book that lends more towards horror for me. Either way someone please option these books already!
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Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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This was my first read by Nick Medina, and I think this was a case of unmet expectations. What I thought I was getting into was a fast-paced thriller, instead Indian Burial Ground is a character driven ‘supernatural horror’ story with a mystery mixed into it. From a horror perspective and it’s much more an atmospheric paranormal creepy read rather than thriller scary. While I found it to be creepy rather than scary, if you don’t tend to dive into this genre there are some pieces of the story that could really give you pause. Trigger Warnings for this include unpleasant deaths, child death, animal death, suicide, and mental health issues.

The story itself is divided into two narrators: Noemi’s and her uncle Louie. While Noemi’s perspective sticks to the present, Louie’s jumps back and forth between past and present and I had a difficult time determining which one we were in when it came to his narration. The representation from each though is heavily skewed towards Uncle Louie’s view and honestly, I didn’t find that Noemi’s added anything to the actual plot. I would have much preferred to have just had Uncle Louie’s two timelines only. In addition, the very first narrator we hear from, we never hear from again or really even referenced again after the first chapter/prologue. That felt weird to me and left me with lots of questions.

The plot is certainly interesting but Indian Burial Ground didn’t fully deliver what I was expecting. Maybe if I had gone into this blind, I would have enjoyed it more. However, the slow burn pacing, the unclear indigenous mythology (which since the tribe is fictional, I wasn’t sure if the myths were fictional), and with a more character driven plot this one just didn’t ‘wow’ me and I found it a chore to finish.

Indian Burial Ground is out now. Thank you to Berkley for my advanced copies in exchange for my review. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.

**Many thanks to Berkley and Nick Medina for an ARC of this book provided via NetGalley**

Noemi can't believe her ears, her eyes, or the reality of her current situation...her boyfriend Roddy is dead. What she finds even MORE unbelievable than his untimely demise, however, is that Roddy took his own life. She had been anxious to launch into her new adult life, move out of her mother Lula's house, and come into her own...but in a flash, every ounce of opportunity has been taken away. It's Noemi's uncle Louie who presents her with this news, and he also shares that the woman who hit Roddy with her car claims that Roddy leapt in harm's way...for no apparent reason; hence, the conclusion that this MUST have been suicide.

But Noemi's gut feeling that there is more going on than meets the eye is underscored by none other than Uncle Louie, who is sharply reminded of some of the horrors of his OWN life...ones that to this day, remain partially unexplained. Trauma borne from mental illness and addiction was already enough to leave lasting scars, but so much of his past still remains a mystery...and seems to point toward a terrible, lingering evil in their tribal ground...an evil that might just have reached Roddy. Can Noemi and Louie band together to unlock the secret horrors of the past...before the demons unleash their fury one FINAL time?

Nick Medina is an author in a very specific space that has been gaining considerable traction lately: Native American horror. The subgenre has had some standout writers as of late, with Stephen Graham Jones leading the way, and it certainly makes sense why: the space is ripe for scares, with rich folklore and mythology at its core. This is nothing new: legends about the consequences about building on top of the ancient Indian Burial Ground are at the center of many a creepy tale (most notably in MY mind, from that horrifying scene in the movie Poltergeist...let's just say I STILL turn away from the screen during the end of that one!) The cultural depth, the breadth of folklore, not to mention the complex and intricate underpinnings of different tribes and how they exist as a unit (with explorations of mental health AND addiction issues to boot) gives plenty of fodder to writers such as Medina.

But in the case of this particular tale, I spent far more time confused, bored, and disoriented than I did intrigued or terrified...and the 384 pages in this one felt more like 584....or possibly even MORE.

For starters, one thing that feels beyond frustrating for me in ANY genre is a messy timeline...and this one is messier than an on-again-off-again couple's breakups. To be honest, it took me a LONG time (read: too much time) to even determine that we were IN two different timelines and how they worked with one another. I'm not sure if a device as simple as naming the chapters with the year they occurred would have helped...but let's just say it couldn't have HURT. I honestly learned more from reading some other early reviews AFTER I finished this one as to what events happened in the past and which happened in the present, what was legend and what was reality, etc. There's talk of missing people, the reanimated dead, and even possession of sorts...but to me, it felt like it was presented in a haphazard fashion, all over the place, to the point where I couldn't tell what were stories Louie was presenting telling Noemi about his childhood versus which he was simply recounting as a narrator to the reading audience about the legends he'd potentially experienced...it all just felt a bit cluttered to me.

Amidst all of this timeline confusion, one of the worst offenses for me was the fact that for a minute I actually thought there was not one but TWO characters named Noemi. Yep, I actually thought that one character had a child named Noemi alongside present day adult Noemi...which I later found out was one (and only one) Noemi. The fact that this was so muddled and unclear was beyond frustrating to me, and although I enjoyed Noemi (only in the present day timeline, mind you) I came to realize that the only reason I felt more interested in this timeline and its events was because it was SLIGHTLY easier to follow and had a more clear trajectory: what happened to Roddy? I'll be honest, once we got into the weeds with some of the more 'out there' mythical aspects of this one, I lost interest completely. It reminded me of how I felt at the end of Mexican Gothic: I went on a long and complicated journey and it ended with something that felt so bizarre and ridiculous I almost rolled my eyes. No spoilers here, but if you want a quick summary....let's just say a picture (like the one on the cover, perhaps) MIGHT tell a thousand words...or at least ENOUGH to give you the gist.

Although this story had all the potential to take me deep into uncharted, mysterious, and sacred ground, I think the only thing I managed to bury was my interest.

2.5 stars, rounded up to 3

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley and the Berkley Besties program.

This book has a lot going on and addresses some pretty heavy topics. This spans several genres, to name a few it is a bit horror, mythological/folklore, and mystery/thriller. The author takes a deep look into very real issues that Native and Indigenous people face such as suicide, substance abuse, and trauma.

This follows alternating points of view Louie in the past, and Noemi in the present. In Louie's chapters he is a teenager, and much of his time is spent babysitting his toddler aged niece Noemi and being the man of the house for his sister and mom. He does his best to take care of them and uphold customs and traditions. During the summer the story takes place the reservation they live on is plagued with several deaths, all of which end up having some strange circumstances or occurrences. Louie is caught up in the legends and lore of his people as more strange things happen that summer. He tries to understand what is going on and get to the bottom of things

In Noemi's chapters, she is in her late thirties and has just learned that the love of her life has been involved in a fatal car accident, and his death has been ruled suicide. She is adamant that he would never do that, so she tries to figure out what really happened. With Uncle Louie's help she tries to find out if it truly was an accident or if Roddy was hiding his internal pain and trauma from her.

I found the pacing of this book to be very slow and there are a ton of characters to keep track of. The vast majority of the story is told from Louie's POV in the 1980's, with Noemi's POV sprinkled throughout. The past and the present are connected, however I felt like there were two distinct books as Noemi's chapters felt a bit disconnected from Louie's. I expected Noemi to go on a similar path of discovery as Louie did to discover what happened to Roddy, but that doesn't happen. The folklore aspect was interesting and I liked the way the author wove that into the horror elements.

I'm still going back and forth if I would truly call this a horror novel, but there is no doubt that with its tense pacing, perfectly timed flashbacks, and heavy topics such as alcoholism and depression, Medina has presented readers with a story that will leave readers thinking long after the last page.

The only reason this wasn't a 5 star for me was the ending, while good, just didn't hit all the boxes for me. I felt like there was more to explore.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the eARC for an honest review.

I enjoyed this author's previous novel, Sister of the Lost Nation, and when I heard what the premise of this novel was going to be, I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy. I loved that this story was a way for the author to reclaim the negative narrative surrounding Indian burial grounds, which has been perpetuated by works such as Pet Sematary and the Amityville Horror.

What I liked about the novel:
-Atmospheric, creepy vibe
-The horror components
-Native American folklore and urban legends
-Dual timelines that were thirty-seven years apart. The earlier one built intrigue for the present day one.

What I thought could have been better:
-Too much of a slow-burn.
-Uneven pacing
-I wish there had been a stronger ending.

Indian Burial Ground is a slow burn mystery with horror elements. The story is told in two perspectives. One is Noemi from the present who just lost her boyfriend to a freak car accident. The other is her uncle, Louie, but back when he was 16 years old, taking care of toddler Noemi. Most of the story is told from Louie‘s point of view, depicting the events that took place at the reserve and how the community was affected by them. There are a number of deaths with strange circumstances, the connection to a vampire that may be killing people as well as instances of graves being dug up and bones taken.

There are a lot of things I liked about this book. I loved contrasting Noemi and Louie with their younger selves. The reservation life is depicted in vivid details and the story emphasizes the strong ties that people have with each other, even though they are not related by blood. I felt immersed in the indigenous culture.

I struggled with this book because of its slow pace and the length. I would have liked more of Noemi's perspective to stay interested to the end. The few chapters about her up till 40% were good but they did not create a strong enough connection for me as to why Louie’s perspective was relevant, or when it would start to be.

Maybe if I read this book at another time, I would like it more. At this time, the progress of the plot is too slow to keep my attention.

Many thanks to the punisher for a review copy of this book for an honest review.

This hauntingly twisted read quickly caught my attention. The beat of the pow wow drum mimicking the beat of your heart. Giving you life, the feeling of power, and the confidence to become a warrior. The traditions and stories passed down through the generations. How the people came into existence and how that affects their daily lives. The keeper of the land, the kind souls of their people, to never pick up a weapon, and if you do....

The story is told through two characters, Noemi and her Uncle Louie. The night Noemi's boyfriend dies. Her Uncle Louie comes back to the Res. He had not seen his family in ten years and the drum with the rhythmic beat drew him home. Making the past and the present come smashing together. When they discover that a coyote was seen leaving the scene. Uncle Louie is flung back to the 80's, when weird occurrences were going on at the reservation. Burial plots being dug up, people dying, the dead seemingly coming back to life. What has left the people and their home unbalanced? Will Uncle Louie be able to figure out what is going on and if the two are connected?

This is a slow burn read that will have you in its web as soon as you connect with the characters. Louie stole my heart, and I wept for Noemi. Reservation life roars its ugly head. The extreme poverty, mental illness, addiction, and your family struggling to make ends meet. It is a tough life, a life you need to have a heavy backbone to survive, with the singing and the pounding of the drum in the background. Always calling you, filling you with joy, and purpose. Thank you to Nick Medina and Berkley Publishing for my gifted copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this. It was my first Nick Medina, and I will definitely go back and read his debut after this. I really liked the dual-timeline narrative of this story, following both Noemi and her Uncle Louie when he was younger. This story weaved together a harrowing family horror/social horror about the realities of reservation poverty with a genuinely terrifying horror story. The scenes about the dead people sitting up in their casket were so creepy and unsettling. Medina has a very talented voice for horror!

Indian Burial Ground is a compelling, dark supernatural horror/mystery novel that takes place on an Indian reservation. It’s very character driven and a bit of a slow-burn but I was hooked from the very beginning. It incorporates themes of family, grief, mental health, and addiction.

Told through dual timelines we first meet 38 year old Noemi in the present and then we’re taken back to 1986 where we meet her uncle Louie when he was 16.
I have to admit I preferred Louie’s POV over Noemi’s. I was intrigued by all of the sinister occurrences that plagued the tribe when he was 16 and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. The scenes at the wakes and leading up to the deaths were especially creepy.
Noemi’s POV isn’t as eventful as Louie’s but it is sad. You can’t help but feel bad for what she’s going through. I was hoping to see more of the investigation into Roddy’s death though.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and will definitely be adding Sisters of the Lost Nation to my TBR. I’m looking forward to whatever Medina releases next!

This was an interesting book. I’m not sure exactly what category to put it in. It has elements of horror, but I’m not sure it could really be called a horror novel. This one took me significantly longer than normal to read and I think it was because of the awkward pacing. The book starts in the present tense with Noemi getting a visit from her estranged Uncle Louie and then finding out her boyfriend was dead apparently by suicide. The other perspective is Louie’s but it is in the past when he was a teenager and there was a lot of mysterious happenings around the reservation. It’s clear there is a purpose to Louie telling the story of that particular summer, but it was more than just a slow burn. I had a hard time getting into that timeline’s story, and it was the bulk of the book. I did like the story once I got done with it, but it took me pushing a bit to finish it. Overall I gave this one 3.5 stars rounded up because I did like the cultural stories woven in.

✨ Review ✨ Indian Burial Ground by Nick Medina; Narrated by Gary Farmer & Erin Tripp

Thanks to Berkley, PRHAudio and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

Right as Noemi's boyfriend is killed by a car on the rez, her uncle Louie returns after over a decade away. As she processes her grief and searches for answers, the story cuts back to Louie's time as a teen on the rez 30+ years before. Laced with mythology and Indigenous teachings as well as a series of mysterious deaths when Louie was a teenager, this book is fully of creepiness and lurking fears.

🎧 I started reading the physical copy of the book, switched to audio for a while, and then spent the rest of the time reading wishing I was listening because Gary Farmer's narration just nailed the character of Uncle Louie. While I've seen some reader's don't like his pacing, I absolutely loved it, and it made Uncle Louie feel so real to me! Do what works for you, but I thought the audio really captured the feelings of this book!

Here are some things I loved:
✅ The legend of the Takoda Vampire and lots of creepy vibes
✅ Indigenous mythology that motivates characters actions
✅ Dual timeline / dual POV - Noemi in the present day and her uncle Louie 30-some years before when Noemi was a child
✅ Great audio narration

This book also tackles serious issues among Indigenous populations including suicide and alcoholism, and I found the book to do this really respectfully and with thought. At first, I felt like loose ends remained untied at the end but actually this captures the emotions of these issues really well.

Kudos to Nick Medina on another rave read for me!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: horror, Indigenous, mystery/thriller
Setting: on a fictional reservation in Louisiana
Length: 12 hours 35 minutes
Reminds me of: Blood Sisters, Sisters of a Lost Nation
Pub Date: April 16, 2024

It is important to note that most of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the book's subject matters & those detailed in my review overwhelming. I suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters that contain reflections on substance abuse, violent crime, the death of a loved one, alcoholism, the death of a child, parental negligence, self-harm, cannibalism, the death of an animal, suicide, mental health, & others.

Great Spirit sees all, observing as the wind ruffles the newborn skin of life, day in & day out. To explain our origin in the windy world, humanity has cast spells of lore; riddles that mask our sorrow at the dark cavern from whence we came & to which we will return, giving nutrients when once we had received them. The weaver is the key element in breaching the dark; the voice whose ease at transporting the listener revives still sounds, casting them like Northern Lights to the silent sky. Without storytellers where would we be? The obsidian nature of our travels leads us back to ourselves; the storyteller lights our way.

The tapestry of creation has offered the wandering soul ample room for whispers from the Great Spirit, Creator, the Lord Himself, His Son, the Archangels, Muhammad ibn Abdullāh, Siddhartha Gautama; the list raves onward, tirelessly presenting the species with individuals who carry word from the unseen.

This statement is perhaps, as you may note, not altogether true. For many cultures, proof of holiness, or the existence of a larger entity than the self, is in the world around us. Who could think of something as beautiful as the sun whose warmth shines for all on earth? Who could have conjured a more perfect globe where land & water exist in tandem for all of existence? The small & large shapes, sounds, visuals, & tangible experiences that exist alongside humanity breathe air into the mythology that colours systems of belief.

Though, if you have made your way through my previous writing you will note a strong stance on the subject of religion, this review does not exist as a critique of schools of belief. Rather, while reading this book, I found myself earnestly, curious about the creatures who suffered the wrath of humankind.

Where was Creator when the rock was cast that killed the woodpecker? Where was Great Spirit when Johnny burned alive in the fire pit? In such a beautiful landscape how can such horror thrive? Where is the kindness riddled in stories that are meant to guide us? Perhaps this story sets in place the doubt that has long seeped into the mind of the burdened; it is not enough to believe in goodness, one must be good to see it live in the world alongside them.

In essence, this is a story about intergenerational trauma. Medina has woven two tricks into his story allowing the reader to remain nearly disengaged when torturous emotions drown children & zombie forces lure them out to pasture where their neglectful parents bury them alive. If readers feel this reality too obstructive to the view they hold of their kin, they are welcome to watch the alligator slither across the page, swallowing unsuspecting victims like stones to the riverbed. Nestled in between the detrimental, blood-soaked narrative is the truth; intergenerational wounds seldom heal.

This story is formatted in a dual narrative. In the present, Noemi experiences the sudden death of her fiancé, Roddy, & the return of her uncle Louie, whom she hasn’t seen in over a decade. Louie’s narrative explores the past, namely the year 1986 when the events that tormented him came to a head. Readers who develop an appreciation for both Noemi & Louie will revel in this approach. Both characters are adults, aged over forty, & have lived long & obscenely complex lives. Presenting readers will characters who are well-established individuals, in the sense of the years they have spent on earth, allows readers the opportunity to delve further into the material that is being presented. Unfortunately, this is my first qualm with this book.

In the introduction, Roddy is described as having committed suicide by jumping in front of a Jeep. His body is then ravaged by a coyote when the driver of the vehicle runs to get help. This approach to introducing the dual perspectives of mythology & trauma was delightful to read. To be clear, this choice of scene—the road, the wild animal, the woman, the man, their home, the land—allows readers to immediately immerse themselves in the story. The borders of the page disappeared as I wondered where the narrative would bring me; Who would I meet along the way? What insights would they give me? When would I be met with the horror I was promised by the genre?

Certainly, one may read about the terrible fate that befalls each of the characters in this story as horrible enough, that there was no need to further the torment of humanity by inducing ghastly soul-eating alligators. This would not be an incorrect decision to conclude. Indeed, this story did not need two perspectives, two narratives, & two timelines.

In reality, Louie carried the entire story & this left me grating my teeth every time Noemi was brought back to the page. I am still conflicted as to what made her so annoying. In an attempt to decode my feelings, I pondered the nature of her character & the benefit of including a forty-year-old woman who was so deeply ignorant, to a story that was emboldened by the Goliath that was her uncle.

Perhaps, I should consider myself lucky that I have such an intimate understanding of Depression, suicidal ideation, self-harm, & suicide. Perhaps, I should learn to be more patient with the world as there are certainly more people like Noemi than there are who are like me. For this reason, call it a lack of patience or desire to sit in the company of someone who was troubled by their own volition, I felt frustrated every time Noemi narrated her sections.

This is primarily due to her lack of knowledge. In her forty years of life, not once has Noemi ever sought to understand the complexities of mental illness, not once has she stepped outside of herself. The death of her long-term partner, Roddy, comes to her as a shock only because it means she now has to find someone else to support her dreams.

For chapters on end, Noemi speaks about how impossible it would be for Roddy to have committed suicide because they were happy & they had plans, & his bad days weren’t that bad. This was insulting to read. It is insulting because Noemi has no clue what she’s talking about yet, she’s a grown woman, she’s an adult, in a world where children rely on adults to guide the way down the road of life, & where other adults inadvertently lean on each other to safeguard the road when it becomes too hard to walk alone.

All the while, Noemi fails at her role, in her community & life. You may deem my criticism harsh but, ignorance is violence & what Noemi states as impossible is in fact what leads so many people who are experiencing mental distress, suicidal ideation, & depression, to be burdened in silence & misunderstanding.

Why is Noemi so ignorant of the parameters of mental illness? People who commit suicide could have sat & had the most delicious meal with the most loving people & this would not be indicative of a change; this is simply one moment in time. The burden of weight carried in the spine, dousing the brain, is not swayed by one lovely meal.

This is not difficult to comprehend. In the middle of her rambling ignorance, Noemi corners Roddy’s sister telling her she’s wrong & wishing to one-up her in the pursuit of answers. Why does she do this? Are readers to believe that not once in forty years of life did Noemi ever encounter another person who was experiencing mental illness? Did Noemi never venture outside the confines of her own bedroom?

Certainly, in life, as I have said earlier, many people lack understanding of what leads a person to commit suicide. I am disheartened to know that this is the case because the solution is simple. Whereas readers are enveloped in a story that deals with the ill-structured home life of a family on the brink of collapse, the world at writ large is littered with situations exactly like the fictionalized one in the reader’s hands.

Can I fault Noemi for being a product of her existence? Will readers be more ready to forgive Noemi for her cruel self-centered ignorance regarding Roddy’s suicide?

What I have come to understand in my many years of life is that some people never learn because they are not seeking the knowledge that will set them free of their ignorance. Noemi was raised in a house with a grandmother who suffered from alcoholism—an illness that ultimately led to her death—with a mother who was crass & rarely present.

Noemi also had the opportunity to grow past the ignorance of her parent, a woman who raves love for men who are ghosts, men who are the opposite of the protagonist, Louie. Again, perhaps it is too demanding of me to assume that Noemi has the willpower or the strength to become more than what she is; few people do so, why am I so caught up in her issues?

The troubles that plague Louie left me empathetic to him. He was sixteen when the events in 1986 took place & readers will note the matured tone of a person who struggles to grow like a rose hidden under a log. Louie is written with gusto, & gumption, with faults in his naive logic but, who can blame him, he lives in a world where his neighbour committed serial murderers & blamed a malevolent spirit for his psychological issues.

In that same breath, you may wonder why I struggle with approaching Noemi with such patience. Perhaps it is because I have been sixteen, & similarly to Louie, I took the reins for a situation I was in no way grown enough to heal. Whereas I have not reached the age of forty & what Noemi lacks, I have in spades.

What is the role of a reader? Am I supposed to compare myself to Noemi & Louie? Am I supposed to pick a side & stick to the path I have chosen? Halfway through this book, I abandoned hope that Noemi would change, I did not believe her to be capable of it but, Louie had such a long life yet to lead, & I did not want to read about his youth becoming entrapped with the slithering gizzard that crouches on my bedpost.

Philosophical masticating in the background, I maneuvered my way through lore & mythology that was not my own. The stories of critters & crawling friends were familiar to me & I was glad to see the comfort of tales that would not give me the answer I needed, neither did they present the characters with the road they should take.

The community of people who vanished, were murdered, & died as a consequence of their addictions or their mental illnesses, clobbered the silly tale of ghosts & screaming corpses. I read most of this book at night, lying in bed listening to the wind whisper to me; each of these situations was more than the life they consumed.

Certain characters presented readers with good reason to pause & take inventory. Why did Jean-Luc eat the bones of the deceased? In some systems of belief, eating the flesh, bones, & meat of people whom one respects allows this person to consume their essence. When Jean-Luc explains that he dug up the graves of respected members of the community & people who were loving & kind, readers may reflect on the person that he is rather than the one he thinks he wants to be.

In wishing to be like the Tamahka (Tunica-Biloxi word for alligator) Jean-Luc emptied himself of his essence, becoming a shadowed sac some may refer to as a Wendigo. Therefore one may be left asking; Do the dreams we have require us to scalp divinity from top to bottom?

I appreciated the morose, gruellingly devastating approach that Medina took to introduce the deadly sin of desire, specifically, the longing to escape the body we are sewn to. Ernest murdered his mother because he could, because he was bored, & because inside he was probably a person who was clinically psychotic.

The flashbacks that the reader is given to remember Horace added a layer of sadness to this story that I did not expect to find. Odd, perhaps, for me to admit that I was not ready for sorrow when I read Horror as though I have never experienced fear in my life but, true it is, nonetheless. Indeed, reading about the potential that was striped from Horace by being a person who had a stutter, to being the child of a family that was on the receiving end of violence from another feuding family, sunk the stone deeper in my soles.

Readers will surely wander through the chapters of this book swiftly, & wonder at the ease they feel while reading such a story. In truth, the experiences of the characters are terrifying because they are not dedicated fabrications, intended for a freaky night of reading.

Indigenous Peoples experience the highest rate of suicide worldwide. Indigenous Peoples experience starkly high rates of addiction worldwide. It is no mystery why this is yet, in Noemi, readers may find comfort in their ignorance.

It is unacceptable to remain in the dark when people, who do not deserve to suffer Charon’s cold finger directing them to their seats on the splintered boat, continue to drown. Why then, do people revel in the shocked face of ghastly surprise meant only for birthday cakes & Christmas morning?

This is a story about the intergenerational burden of a community of people who have struggled to stay-face in a world that has repeatedly told them their demise would be a pleasure to witness. I return to what I said earlier, my frustrated notions of annoyance against Noemi & her structured ignorance. Perhaps you will think me a product of a life that has left little room for patience, forgiveness, or tenderness; you would be wrong, but only partly. In fact, I work tirelessly to ensure that the spaces in which I go reflect the song the crows have sung as we greet each other, & that I spill only soft wind into the rooms where doors have been previously closed. I am troubled by a reality I know well & I remain frustrated that humanity does not advocate for a space where what has been need not be any longer.

Whether an alligator swallowed Mrs. Shelby or whether her son murdered her in her home; whether Horace was mutilated by a Vampire or whether his friend carved out his heart so that he may never rest; whether Mae was consumed by a demon or whether she chocked on her own vomit; victims of crime, victims of exhaustion from fighting against a beast greater than the Meli Omahka or any of its other names; people suffer the fate that befalls them as they dangle on the edge of a cliff where, rather than sacred & safe, the rocks have been moulded into the dead-eyed faces of the perilous Nazgûl.

Ultimately, the beating that reverberates the ribs, pumping willpower to the brain, & steadying the river watcher, riddles a tale as old as time; Who can escape the self? Readers will be met with causes worthy of their care with optimism that the alligator, the woodpecker, the armadillo, & the coyote will act as guides to them whereas in life they persist in ignoring the very people for whom these animals are kin. Troubling as the ghost may appear, his reflection is often more coyly our own than we care to admit.

For readers who have wandered the land in tune with the formidable looming cloud, this story will wriggle into the tendinous ring, like the fantom of despair made into the giggling forest’s safe-heaven for the Alligatoridae who seek to return to the underworld where their smooth underbelly guard the stones of souls long since laid to rest.

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, & Nick Medina for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!