burn our bodies down
By: Rory Power
Ever read a book (or watched a film) and thought okay their trying to say something deeper here and I… almost get it… but no, not really… and then wonder am I falling short? Or is the book?
After years of dealing with her troubled and secretive mother Margot finds that her grandmother is still alive and the hometown farm is calling her. From the minute she gets to creepy corn town she knows something is wrong, something deep that relates to her family and her mother’s past, but can’t really put her finger on it.
So I picked up Burn Our Bodies Down for a scare and to get some Halloween reading and on that account it doesn’t really work. Oh the atmosphere is good and the mystery (Rory Power is definitely a good writer) there’s a handful of creepy scenes but it doesn’t really take hold.
And for me it comes down to two reasons.
There is some weird shit Margot realizes in her family and corn farm. And (trying to avoid spoilers) it only gets weirder as a “scientific” explanation is also attempted. I mean probably not much of an explanation but still. Power tried it and it just felt kind of like really, really, that’s what you’re going with?
Instead of just keeping it weird it more so threw me out of the story. From now on I think if you’re going to attempt to explain impossible weird shit do it the American Pickle way.
Second the climax. After a scene of the aftermath of startling violence (a bit that really did shock me even though we didn’t see it which was also a little weird) the big bad just kind of… gives up.
I mean I honestly thought I missed something and went back. But nope crazy anti-climatic.
Recommend: Depends on what you’re looking for here!
If you’re looking for a Halloween horror/scary book this probably isn’t going to do anything for you despite some creepy stuff.
But it’s an okay mystery about the people we are, who we come from, and whether or not those things will destroy us even if we try to run from them.