Reviews

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

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rebeccaschierakamelu's review against another edition

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challenging dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

linnaboobooks's review against another edition

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2.0

I'd like to disclaimer before I start this review that my rating is based off my enjoyment level of it, it may be that the tone of it didn't mesh well with my current mood. However, I will say it's a very intriguing story as a whole and it will stick with me into the future regardless of the rating.

In this we experience something a series of happenings that might have connections to an incident that happened 10 years prior. This event seems to stick with one of the men, Lewis, even after he's moved on with his life off the reservation with his non-native wife. For the others, not so much, which left him as the only one aware of the possibility of what was happening.

His paranoia of the elk's spirit haunting him is a rollercoaster ride of trying to understand what exactly is going on. If it's all in his mind or if there is genuinely an Elk Head Woman hunting him and his friends.

It's a slower pace and written in a way that reminds me very much of a gothic horror with its looming, bleak atmosphere and the slasher elements. These combinations of genres mixed with the cultural aspects, gives this novel a very unique take. Genuinely not a book for everyone but definitely a gem of its own kind.

( an interview with the author / the discussion guide )

trigger warnings for: death of multiple dogs, violence, gore.