Calla Williams is only 25 but she is aging quickly under the stress of raising her younger brother Jamie. Calla has become the main guardian and while she looks to Dre, the middle brother for help she is generally the only one keeping 16 year old Jamie from quitting school and running the streets. Jamie continues to press against his boundaries and eventually cause all 3 siblings to go on the run to a remote cabin. The darkness that awaits them is hard to explain but quite foreboding - definite Jordan Peele vibes.
I loved the casual banter of the siblings and while I sometimes was a a bit confused, I enjoyed this creepy horror and know you will too! If you like your horror to be a bit deeper, a bit more meaningful, a bit more real - this is the book for you!
#stmartinspress #listentoyoursister #neenaviel

I do not think that this book was for me. It was all over the place and felt like a ride that I could not wait to get off of.

✨4.5 rounded up✨
(Thank you so much to St. Martins Press for the advance reader copy!)
If you love Jordan Peele movies you will certainly also enjoy this book.
Calla, Dre, and Jamie are siblings that have truly gone through hell together. It’s a story of a black American family, their trauma, and fight to keep together what family they have left.
Calla, their sister, is a strong force and will do anything for her brothers, to a fault. She has severe and vivid nightmares about horrible things happening to her brothers, unable to keep them safe.
The story is written in third person omniscient and we get perspectives of all three siblings.
It took a little while to get used to the writing style and pacing, often times not knowing what’s actually happening and what is imagined. This is by design.
Neena’s writing is so clever, both cheeky and eloquent and flawlessly bounces between the two. I was frequently cringing and then laughing in the same breath.
It’s a profound message about our younger selves and how damaging they can be to us and those we love if the trauma goes unchecked.
This story was smart, funny, heartfelt, horrifying, and thought provoking. Loved it!