RaveLibrary JournalThe novel’s artfully described setting and the intricately interwoven plots and perspectives of its many players—some innocent and others monstrous—result in expert storytelling that is equally fascinating and devastating ... Moore’s novel is wild yet delicate, with complex characters and an immersive reading experience that will draw audiences.
Nora Fussner
RaveLibrary JournalThis is a masterpiece of innovative storytelling and psychological horror.
Minka Kelly
MixedLibrary JournalHer eventual celebrity and success as an actress on Friday Night Lights are mere footnotes in this memoir that is otherwise her coming to terms with the neglect and turmoil of her childhood. With extremely brief moments of optimism sprinkled solely in its final chapters, Kelly openly exposes her most complicated relationships and how they shaped her into someone habitually attracted to chaos ... The retelling of these memories is neither educational nor inspirational; they are simply deeply upsetting. Her introspection into her past is ultimately the defense and justification of the adults responsible for her troubled childhood—a roller coaster ride of one minute praising them for their affection, the next sparing no detail about her abuse and abandonment. It’s clear she’s still navigating their long-term consequences.
Victor Lavalle
RaveLibrary JournalLaValle beautifully captures the vastness of the 1915 Montana frontier and the subtlety of terror in his latest ... A chilling tale of isolation, shame, regret, and survival, LaValle’s novel is incredibly immersive—readers will hear the wind of the prairie, smell the wood smoke, see the bloodstains, and feel the fear ... LaValle grips readers with the subtle terror of inevitability, only to hold tight with tenderness.
Casey Parks
PanLibrary Journal... a work that’s more speculative than investigative and significantly more tragic than mysterious ... What should be a fascinating cross section of Roy’s mystery and Parks’s history is instead a tangled mess of small-town gossip, flawed research, and shallow reporting (bordering on exploitive) from unreliable narrators, including Parks. Parks shares her backstory, attempting to create parallels between Roy and herself as she tackles her own fears about her sexuality, faith, and isolation. Unfortunately, her investigation provides so little evidence of who Roy actually was and who Parks really is, that the final product is more a discursive collection of contradictions and embellishments than true investigative journalism or memoir. The memoir heavily features familial struggles with opioid addiction, narcissism, and poverty ... Less a journey of discovery and more the account of a complicated daughter-mother relationship laden with guilt and neglect.
Ellyn Gaydos
RaveLibrary JournalAn ode to pig farming that waxes poetic in its simple majesty; readers will revel in the beautiful imagery and lyricism of this tribute to farm life ... Husbandry is portrayed with the rhythmic storytelling of Gaydos’s masterful, rapturously refreshing, and immersive writing: a delicate balance between the graceful beauty and cruel reality of farm life, loss and abundance, longing and belonging. Gaydos’s narration is so beautiful and omniscient, it feels less like a farmer’s almanac than a guided meditation through the Northeast’s harsh winters and hot summers. Her clean linen language and sophisticated writing style is sure to move readers as it turns a pigsty into an oasis and a sunburn into a warm weather kiss. Readers will fall in love with Gaydos’s humble commitment to feeding her soul through farming. More than a memoir; it’s a sensory experience of the complexities of loving and living the not-so simple simple life while hovering just above the poverty line ... This diamond in the rough is sure to be a bestseller.
Diana Goetsch
RaveLibrary JournalEnthralling ... Told with unique eloquence and tenderness, the memoir follows the emotional and physical transition of someone who spent 50 years living in someone else’s skin ... Her memoir opens a window into the cultural evolution of trans communities, gender identity, authenticity, and mental health, with nothing held back as she ascends shame through intimacy. Hope blooms within these pages. Readers will witness first-hand the tragedy of living a life closeted and the miracle of discovering it’s never too late to shed your old skin and become the person you were always meant to be ... Powerful and beautifully written, this is a mesmerizing memoir.
