The Only Good Indians, Stephen Graham Jones

★★★★

After the author described this as a modern take on the "slasher" film, then the gratuitous gore and wake of bodies left throughout the book made a fun kinda sense. It allowed me to lighten my expectations and see the book for what it was: a bloody tale of revenge. The writing style and cultural inferences are very niche and may alienate some readers. But me? I LOVED it - couldn't get enough of it!

I loved how raw and honest the four main characters were: their disdain for wildlife ranger authority, their drive for professional respectability while not quite feeling a part of the system, their wry humor, and the symbolism they took from small acts of nature. The four characters were all down and out in their own ways unknowingly carrying the weight of their actions and the guilt of their slaughter on elder's land ten years earlier. It didn't take much for a supernatural element to appear and start picking off characters one by one.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.