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lisathepoetlibrarian's review
5.0
Brilliant novella! A biting critique of racism and colonialism in a riveting horror mystery. Should be a must read for all American literature courses!
bookishactor's review
5.0
Family Solstice by Kate Maruyama is a challenging book about inequality, privilege, sacrifice, and the relative comforts and horrors of benefitting from systemic injustice…with some cosmic horror thrown in. It’s hard to give a synopsis of this short volume without spoiling it. Every Solstice one member of Shae’s family must go into the basement of the family home to fight…something. I enjoyed this book. I was really intrigued by trying to figure out what was going on throughout the book. This is a very challenging book on many levels. I think most of us can probably identify with one or more characters in this story as we recognize the ways in which our world is unjust and how we personally, directly or indirectly, intersect with that inequality and what we do or do not do about it. Although fantastical and horrific, this book raises serious questions about how society may be engineered to benefit some rather than all, and how it always has been. What sacrifices are we willing to make to either perpetuate or dismantle systemic inequality? Is it even possible to overcome injustice? That’s a lot of very deep questions for such a short book to tackle. While I would maintain that Maruyama does not provide us with clear cut answers, her ability to make me think, even to the point of discomfort, about these questions is commendable. While I would have liked to have known more about…what was in the basement…I nevertheless admire this book for how much it packed into such a short page count. 4.5 stars.
katemaruyama's review
5.0
The characters are well-developed, the prose is both vivid and simple, suspense builds and then there is a very poignant metaphor. Loved it.
icameheretoread's review
4.0
The second I read about this one on ladiesofhorrorfiction, I pre-ordered it. The premise is bat-shit crazy, and I spent this morning reading the hell out of it (it's a whopping 53 pages, so just perfect for a single-sitting read).
The positive- Maruyama manages to maintain a heckin level of suspense across the entire story. I could not turn (well, scroll) the pages fast enough. I had to know what was going on in that basement. And Shea is pretty level-headed. She remembers little details from growing up that keep your interest peaked and manage to provide enough backstory.
The (not bad, but frustrating)- character development really suffers here, I feel due to length. Also, clearer explanations. I reread the ending twice and I know what I decided the ending was but I also know that is not how some readers roll. I needed to know more about the mother, the father, and the family history. Also, I'm still unsure of what the payoff is: the American dream? Is living in Connecticut and eating grilled corn the American dream? Are there winter solstice battles in basements all over America?
As I cannot stop myself from comparing what I read to other things I have read (perhaps the librarian in me subconsciously writing "if you liked_____" lists), I would compare this to Shirley Jackson's darker works. The theme here is definitely family and preserving traditions.
I look forward to reading more, longer works from Maruyama and consider this a great start to Women in Horror Month.
The positive- Maruyama manages to maintain a heckin level of suspense across the entire story. I could not turn (well, scroll) the pages fast enough. I had to know what was going on in that basement. And Shea is pretty level-headed. She remembers little details from growing up that keep your interest peaked and manage to provide enough backstory.
The (not bad, but frustrating)- character development really suffers here, I feel due to length. Also, clearer explanations. I reread the ending twice and I know what I decided the ending was but I also know that is not how some readers roll. I needed to know more about the mother, the father, and the family history. Also, I'm still unsure of what the payoff is: the American dream? Is living in Connecticut and eating grilled corn the American dream? Are there winter solstice battles in basements all over America?
As I cannot stop myself from comparing what I read to other things I have read (perhaps the librarian in me subconsciously writing "if you liked_____" lists), I would compare this to Shirley Jackson's darker works. The theme here is definitely family and preserving traditions.
I look forward to reading more, longer works from Maruyama and consider this a great start to Women in Horror Month.
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