Tori Bovalino is an auto-read author for me for a reason and My Throat An Open Grave cements that status even further. Read on to hear my full thoughts on this lyrical, beautiful and haunting story.
This review originally appeared on The Nerd Daily.
In the small town of Winston, Pennsylvania, they fear the Lord of the Wood almost as much as they fear God. According to legend, ghosts of the nearby forest steal unattended babies, leaving enigmatic tokens of wood and bone in their place. Leah Jones didn’t believe the legend, thinking it just a way to scare the local kids-until her baby brother disappears.
Filled with shame and the weight of the town’s judgment, Leah crosses the river into the Lord of the Wood’s domain to bring her brother back. But the devilish figure who has haunted Winston for generations isn’t what she expects. He tells her she can have her brother back… for a price.
It’s a bargain that will uncover secrets her hometown has tried to keep buried for decades. And what she unearths will have her questioning everything she’s been taught to fear.
Publication Date: 20th February
TW: murder, death, sacrifice, drowning, violence, sexism, religious trauma, abusive parent, blood, animal death, body horror, suicidal ideation, purity culture, pregnancy, death of a family member
My Thoughts:
Bovalino never fails to astound me. This Labryinth esque tale of expectations, religion and the bonds we forge in life was gorgeously written, with a tang of blood and death staining every page. Some of the phrasing has not left my head since reading. Here, the writing was just stunning yet again, with a menacing hint of dread permeating every page. The way ghosts are used as a device within this story is impeccable. Ghosts are commonly used as resounding echoes of trauma, personal or societal, but Bovalino adds an extra element to the trope here that makes them more devastating. I always adore how Bovalino’s books deliver horror with a twist – it feels very fresh and distinctive. They’re societally conscious and stunningly written, reclaiming and challenging old narratives to shape them into something new. The violence here is visceral and the meaning behind it is so much worse. Horror has the ability to bring a mirror to our lives and Bovalino delivers blows that shatter Leah’s illusions here deftly.
This is very much a character focused book as we follow Leah’s journey. She starts the book as a somewhat naive girl, who follows the restrictive and misogynistic ideology of her upbringing. Her determination to save her brother is commendable, but this motivation can start to be questioned early on. Really, this is a coming of age narrative through a fascinating prism. It is a corruption narrative, but through an entirely different lens that you might be useful. Bovalino challenges what family, love and loyalty really mean – as well as unpicking some fundamental ideas of Leah’s society and impressing just how important it is to challenge your worldview. There are some fairly clear parallels to our society, which are gut-wrenching and Bovalino’s author note really hit home for me. In particular, she takes at religious fanaticism and the trauma religion can bring, particularly through a gendered lens. This is a nuanced take – especially for what faith can mean to an individual before it is twisted and manipulated. It makes for compelling and complex reading.
Throughout the book, there is a wonderful mystery at play too. This is so well plotted and has some fantastic twists and turns. I particularly loved how emotionally devastating most of the twists were, because it fed into the character development and overall arcs of the stories. They are not just shock value twists, they have heart and a tragic sense to them. For Leah, the stakes are clear and extremely high. You are aware of the blood permeating every page and the lives that have been lost to terrible decisions and a twisted mindset. Bovalino makes the horrors human, as well as including some supernatural elements that are wonderful additions. The entire community of the Lord of the Wood’s domain is a fascinating and richly written place. There feels like so much more to explore within this world and I would love for Bovalino to return here. It all encapsulates the theme of looking beyond appearances, but also continues the theme of this fairytale like influence on Bovalino’s writing. It is dreamy and fantastical, but has a real sense of violence and death surrounding it. These are stories with bite and cores of steel.
My Throat an Open Grave is a wonderful, introspective and incredibly chilling read that draws closely to our own reality, leaving you with a fire in your heart and a shiver on your skin.
A Short Book Lover 
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