Beautifully written, captured my attention from the very beginning with the variation in narrative structures and timelines. The attention to detail in the stories of Native women was both heartbreaking and stunning.

If The Dead Belong Here
3.75⭐️

InterGenerational trauma, ghosts and strong women.

There is so much to love about this book.
The prose are poetic and haunting, not just because they are about a haunting, but because they are masterfully crafted in such a way that they won’t leave you any time soon.

This was a hard read though. It is heavy, it isn’t pretty or tied up in a bow. It made me angry, it made me sad. I had to take several breaks and read something lighter, but I kept coming back. Over and over again I opened these pages and experienced the pain that these women were suffering from.

Ayita drove me mad but it was such a realistic and raw portrayal of addiction and alcoholism, as well as grief and trauma.

Nadine, I just hope she finds peace and doesn’t continue the cycle.

I would have loved to get to know Talley more, and in my mind Nadine and Rosebud go back to SC and live their days with her, and Nadine gets to learn healing and develop her knowing more.

The horror elements were very well executed, but definitely took a back seat to the drama which I’m personally a fan of. Most hauntings are family dramas with a ghost element anyways. The intergenerational trauma is the real horror of this story.

All in all it was a beautiful story with an ending I just wanted more from.

When six-year-old Laurel disappears in the night, her mother, Ayita falls apart. She has never been exactly strong, losing her beloved brother at an early age, abused by Laurel’s father until he left the family, and barely able to raise her older daughter Nadine.
There are no clues and if I didn’t know better, I would think that Laurel was an imaginary child. While Ayita drinks to forget, Nadine starts having strange then terrifying dreams. Will she be the one to bring Laurel home?
There is a lot going on here. Indigenous people and their beliefs, alcohol abuse, physical abuse, loss, grief, and despair. The story would grab me, and I could not turn the pages fast enough. Then at other times, I needed to put it down and shake off the sadness. I will be thinking about the story for quite a while and think a reread will help me notice things that I missed.
This is a debut, and I will be looking for the author’s next book.

This is a story about the disappearance of a small girl and its effects upon members of a family. It is also a story about alcoholism, abuse, and self-harm—how anger begets anger and violence begets violence. It’s beautifully written. It’s also thoroughly and unrelentingly depressing. At least it is for me, which is why I’m quitting a quarter of the way through. Although author Carson Faust does a masterful job building worlds and creating characters, they aren’t places I want to visit or people I want to spend time with. Other readers may well have a different opinion. In fact, according to some of the other NetGalley reviews, many do and will.

My thanks to NetGalley, author Carson Faust, and publisher Penguin Group Viking Penguin/ Viking for providing me with a complimentary ARC. All of the foregoing is my honest, independent opinion.

“If the Dead Belong Here” is a debut novel by Carson Faust. Pulling from their own heritage, this book has a lot in it from effects of colonization, indigenous folklore, and generational trauma. I’m not quite sure what I expected from this book and I rather ended the book with a few more questions (while I understand it being Native American, the “Southern Gothic” being set in Wisconsin was a bit more confusing). I’d also suggest taking breaks while reading this book - there’s a lot of overwhelming depressing feelings and, honestly, I had to take breaks to get into a more upbeat mood. I found the writing interesting, though at times the plot moved a bit too slowly for my enjoyment - and sometimes I felt like some of the characters weren’t as developed as I’d like as I found myself re-reading parts wondering if I’d missed some information (repeat of the “I have questions” remark here). However, for a debut novel, this book has a lot to offer, so that’s a plus in its favor.

Review of Uncorrected E-book File

Six-year-old Laurel Taylor has vanished, leaving her mother, Ayita, devastated and broken. Her older sister, Nadine, calls the police, but Laurel is nowhere to be found.

As Ayita drinks to silence her pain, Nadine is having nightmares. She believes Laurel’s disappearance is related to other family tragedies, and sets out to find the shadows, lay the ghosts to rest, and, hopefully, bring her sister home.

What happened to Laurel? And can Nadine bring her home?

=========

Atmospheric and otherworldly, this multi-generational story is filled with the folklore of the Indigenous people. This haunting tale of loss and despair and the Little People leaves readers with much to contemplate as the unfolding story takes unexpected directions. It’s a story both complex and intriguing a story filled with sadness.

Readers will find much to appreciate in this story that will remain with them long after they’ve turned the final page.

Recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from PENGUIN GROUP Viking Penguin / Viking and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.
#IftheDeadBelongHere #NetGalley

Wow! This was my first book to read by this author but definitely not my last! This book will leave you wanting for more and the characters and storyline stick with you long after you finish it. Do yourself a favor and pick up this page-turner!

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing an ARC.

Native American Southern Gothic. How can you not read this?
The book starts quietly, leaving the reader to expect a regular mystery about a missing girl. But this debut author has crafted something richer, a story that unfolded to something haunting, otherworldly and just spooky. This is more than a whodunit, it's a story of loss, belonging and the thin veil between worlds. IF you are willing to settle in for the deliberate pace, the book pays off. Less horror and more despair, but very effective.

4 stars

When a young girl vanishes, her mother falls apart, and her great-aunt and sister desperately try to bring her back in the moving novel about intergenerational trauma and indigenous folklore.

I simply cannot believe this is a debut! If the Dead Belong Here is an absolutely chilling and heartbreaking novel, spanning five generations of grief and the varying forms of strength among survivors. The immense gratitude I feel for the author for sharing such an intimate story, no matter how much fiction was spun around, is immeasurable. Nonfiction-Fiction is my favorite, and this delivered.

"We share our bodies. We share our blood. Our memories are deep in the blood. They linger. They stain."

If the Dead Belong Here left me in tears several times and covered in goosebumps. Faust’s writing is stunning. Poetic in every chapter without being overwhelming, perfectly capturing the love and knowing Indigenous folks have for their land and people. Plus enough chilling horror to satisfy. The Little People folklore was everything I craved: myth and terror intertwined, their presence ‘traveling’ with the family from South Carolina to Wisconsin, mirroring the emotional weight of generational trauma.

I have no genuine critiques that would steer me from calling this a 5-star read. Were there things I didn’t love? Sure—like Nadine and Laurel’s father, or that much of the novel unfolds in Wisconsin rather than the Deep South. But I believe that was THE point. Southern Indigenous lore had to migrate north to survive, just as the people did, whether because they were FORCED by government, or because they were FORCED by an abusive man, it doesn't matter. Forced.. That’s the reality: Indigenous communities carry their knowings with them, no matter where they’re forced to go. I dare say no indigenous fictional dystopia could feel authentic without honoring that truth. The endurance, the theft, the resilience.

I hope this story reaches far and wide, amplifying attention for MMIWR (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives). No matter who steals them—white men, hate, or grief—they deserve to be seen.

A breathtaking, necessary debut.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Viking, Penguin | Viking, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

I'll be sure to add this review beyond my GoodReads and Instagram!

A hauntingly beautiful book, a child vanishes and it wrecks her family. As they navigate their grief, her older sister is haunted by nightmares that make her think that it could all be connected to other tragedies the family has experienced. She is determined, with the help of her elders, to find out where is sister is and what happened. I absolutely loved the inclusion of Indigenous folklore and the real and supernatural symbolism throughout this book. The characters feel like people I actually know and the theme of colonization and the damage it does is so important and well done. I am still thinking about this book long after finishing it.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Review will be posted on Instagram and Amazon on pub day and links added to NetGalley.

This book was very slow to get going, but once it did it really just kept going! The writing was beautiful, almost poetic. The story of grief was deeply immersive, almost to the point of needing to put the book down to give myself a break to be honest.
I wish the pacing had been a little better, but over all this was a genuinely haunting piece of work.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A haunting story about generational trauma and the effects it has on a family line.

When six year old Laurel goes missing without a trace, her family is left to wonder what has become of her. Nadine, her older sister, is determined to find her. With the help of her aunt, the two set off to bring Laurel home from the magical realm of the Little People.

I really enjoyed the magical realism in this novel. Nadine’s family line has many gifted women who are healers and who can translate dreams and see past the veil into the in-between. While this gift is passed down through the generations, so is the trauma the women in the family face. They marry/become involved with men who are physically abusive. Who try to prevent them from practicing their gifts. It was heartbreaking to see the pattern repeat itself, and though Nadine ends the relationship with her abusive boyfriend, the struggle to fully untangle herself from him is ever present.

I appreciated how flawed these characters were and the level of depth and complexity they each had. These are imperfect people with hopes and dreams and struggles. I was rooting for them along the way, and hoping that Nadine and Laurel would be the ones to forge a new path in the family and end the generational trauma. I thought that the portrayal of Ayita’s alcoholism was very earnest. Faust paints an accurate portrait with empathy and lacking judgment. I really empathized with her struggle. She’s a multifaceted character, and we truly see the complexity of her struggle as she tries her best to stay sober and how she ultimately succumbs to the bottle.

I would say that Faust does a great job of creating complex character portraits, though my one critique would be that I felt Nadine’s POV was too mature for her age. Though 14, she felt as if she was a decade older. I appreciate that she’s had to grow up fast, picking up the parenting slack from her mother. I just felt she was too self aware in a way that I think teenagers her age aren’t. While she’s had to take an adult role, it’s still very much through the lenses of a child, and I don’t think that element was captured. Despite how she’s had to grow up quickly, she’s still sheltered in ways that don’t line up with her characterization at times. That being said, I did like the way that she struggled to understand her feelings with her ex boyfriend.

I would venture to say there are no real bad guys in this story. Everyone is a product of their upbringing and the trauma they’ve encountered. Each character deals with their trauma in their own way, some ways which I don’t agree with, but create a multifaceted view of the character.

This was a compelling drama that tackled complex themes with understanding and with a lack of judgement. I will say there was imagery in this story that frightened me. Kudos to Faust for their vivid descriptions of the Little People and the woman who haunts Nadine’s dreams. I was legitimately scared.

I was captivated by these characters and eager to discover whether they can find Laurel and what becomes of their futures. This is a compelling thriller, and I would recommend it for those who enjoy magical realism and flawed characters.

Thanks to Viking and NetGalley for the eARC!

This wasn't exactly what I was expecting but I don't know that I'm disappointed in that? It was a lot sadder than I had anticipated and more feelings of despair. The ending left me with more questions, but Faust takes us on a journey with beautiful prose and an original story. It wasn't exactly what I expected and sometimes that's exactly what you need.

If the Dead Belong Here starts quietly, almost deceptively so, lulling the reader into thinking it’s a straightforward mystery about a missing girl. But Carson Faust has crafted something far richer—a story that unfolds into something haunting, otherworldly, and deeply atmospheric.

The second half of the book is where it truly shines, revealing layers of complexity I didn’t anticipate. Faust’s prose is deftly drawn, balancing harsh, gritty realism with moments of unexpected softness and sweetness. Some readers may find the characters’ lives unforgiving, but those struggles make their fleeting moments of tenderness all the more poignant.

This isn’t just a whodunit—it’s a meditation on loss, belonging, and the thin veil between worlds. If you’re willing to settle into its deliberate pace, the payoff is well worth it.

This was a new kind of read for me, a Native American Southern Gothic, and one that stands for originality.

Laurel Taylor disappeared when she was just six years old, and her absence fractured her family. Years later, her older sister Nadine begins to have vivid, punishing nightmares that connect her with ancient elders and spirits. Nadien believes that the dreams could lead her on a path toward long-buried answers about her sister.

Carson Faust’s debut is rich with indigenous lore and gothic atmosphere. The novel draws from themes of colonization, generational trauma, grief, and cultural erasure, all while telling a deeply personal story borne from the author’s own family history.

Not everything is tied up neatly by the end and there are lingering questions. In some ways this seems to be a book that asks you to sit with discomfort, and consider the way the past never truly leaves us.

If you're looking for a haunting debut that brings something entirely new to the genre, this is one to watch.

#CarsonFaust #NativeLit #SouthernGothic #DebutNovel

less of a "horror/fear" novel and more of a "sadness/despair" novel,but still worked quite well. the plot was effective. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

This book draws of the tragedy and abuse forced on indigenous people during colonization, so the premise and plot is pretty heavy. At it's core, it focuses on the generational trauma caused by the institutionalized abuse, while giving respect to traditions and folklore.

I think it could have done with a bit more polishing but I think the emotional depth really outshines any missteps. It's sad to think that the author's family (like so many others) experienced this tragedy, but the connection is clear in the work.

the Native American folklore in this book was so interesting. to read. The familial pain & trauma was well written but so very sad.

I really like how this book was written. It does a great job drawing the reader in and making you forget your surroundings. I like how real this book is, while also intertwining the unnatural and supernatural elements into it. This book doesn't sugarcoat the history and story of many Native American people. It does a great job at incorporating the reality they face. Overall, it was great. The ending left me with more questions and wanting to read more.