It’s an unwieldy and hard-to-describe setup, but the five siblings are the greatest strength of the narrative. Each is alternately heartbreaking and maddening ... There’s a sense of deep claustrophobia in the setting ... The book is at its best when it’s exploring the tension between what the siblings want and need from one another, while also delving into the extensive damage their father and his ideas did to them. The weakest aspect of the novel is the mystery of their mother’s disappearance ... The novel leans too much into supernatural convenience, which dilutes the story’s power. However, the resolution will doubtless generate lively discussion in book club settings, even if it feels a bit too easy. Overall, The Bog Wife is a lush, beautifully written novel about trying to be a person in our strange world.
Chronister examines the varying responses within a family system to upended convictions and the ties that bind and break if they cannot bend ... A novel about what can grow from decay.
Claustrophobic ... Grim ... These disparate reactions build to an abrupt and unsatisfying ending that leaves toxic cycles intact and the family to stew in their misfortune. Even diehard fans of gothic horror will need a high tolerance for misery to get through this.
