PositiveThe Chicago Review of BooksThroughout the novel, North describes the frontier landscape so elegantly you can almost hear Aaron Copland’s Billy the Kid swelling and retreating in the background ... Their being forced to live outside mainstream society and steal simply to survive allegorizes how fundamentally compromising it is for queer individuals to have their gender identities and sexuality outlawed.
T. Kingfisher
PositiveThe Chicago Review of BooksIn a genre where film narratives are full of found footage, The Twisted Ones contains a generous helping of found manuscript. The Green Book is a book within a journal within the novel. The sheer volume of found manuscript begs patience of its reader by the middle of the novel, but once things start going bump in the night at the house, the thrills leave you wanting more ... a strong sense of place. Its wooded hills are very much a character ... Mouse is so modest, you can’t help loving her from the get-go, but what seals the deal is her love for Bongo ... If you’re looking for a horror novel that uses a rich, regional narrative voice, and a unique creature mythology to put a fresh spin on traditional gothic elements, this novel is for you.
Carmen Maria Machado
PositiveThe Chicago Review of BooksMuch like in her fiction, Machado’s prose in her memoir shows an unflinching willingness to stretch the usual conventions of literary technique. It makes for a dynamic read ... With academic precision, Machado describes how a love life can go from idyllic to alarming to terrifying ... the author is courageous in her vulnerability ... Machado is an author who writes the truth of her experiences. Her understanding of the events of that ill-fated relationship aren’t up for debate.
