Book that had me sobbing at 3am • Jackal Explained

TROPES: small town, Black narrative, magical realism, multiple narrative perspectives, poetic prose

⭐️Overall rating: 4.5/5: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Now before I go into why this book ABSOLUTELY REVOLUTIONIZED MY THOUGHTS ON THRILLER - I have to address the elephant in the room.

DISCLAIMER:

4.5 ⭐️s??? LISTEN, it was purely for the macabre and disheartening content. there were spots that were just hard to read. though Adams has a poetic twist of words with triple meaning, it didn’t mask the real horrors of the victims in the narrative.

so that’s my only docking - I think the subject matter was necessary for the HORROR of the book - however it made me have to stop and switch into something lighter.

THE REVIEW:

OUTSIDE OF THAT — I was jumpy and scared trying to read it late! when I say this book is heart-breakingly 💔genius. the grisly nature of the content is softened in some parts with the delicate lacing Erin E. Adams uses to move the plot from internal to external conflict.

Intuitively knowing when we’ve had too much, she reels the gore for a sort of veiled terror that happens in these sections where it seems as if you’re looking into a peephole, paralyzed in fear - stuck imagining the horrors being described.

I caught my 😳🤯😱🫠🫣🫢 jaw on the ground the majority of the book. however, I will say I was impressed with how satisfied I was with the ending. usually after thrillers, my skin is still humming with fear but this book rounded a truly terrifying twisting tale into a hopeful but memorable representation of Black women’s range and complexity in America. #currentlyreading #lemon8challenge #lemon8bookclub #lemon8bookchallenge