Thank you to Delacorte Press and Netgalley for sharing a copy in exchange for my honest review.
Ever since Margot was born, it's been just her and her mother. No answers to Margot's questions about what came before. No history to hold on to. No relative to speak of. Just the two of them, stuck in their run-down apartment, struggling to get along. But that's not enough for Margot. She wants family. She wants a past. And she just found the key she needs to get it: A photograph, pointing her to a town called Phalene. Pointing her home. Only, when Margot gets there, it's not what she bargained for. Margot's mother left for a reason. But was it to hide her past? Or was it to protect Margot from what's still there? The only thing Margot knows for sure is there's poison in their family tree, and their roots are dug so deeply into Phalene that now that she's there, she might never escape. This haunting sophomore novel provides new spins on Rory Power’s signature body horror and environmentally conscious themes. I was hooked from the very first page, and could not be more grateful to have experienced Phalene as an early reader. The cycles of abuse that Margot experiences feel so personal and real—her headspace is so clearly delineated through the novel that I truly think I got to inhabit her mind for a brief while. Her responses to the events of the novel also influenced her perception of herself and her family, so despite the fact that the book is entirely in her perspective, it avoided repetition. This contributed to my enjoyment of the novel, as I dislike narrative repetition if avoidable. My favorite books are the ones where I can understand each character’s choices, and what makes them tick. Ergo, Burn Our Bodies Down is one of my new favorites. This book is also special because of the relationships between its characters, even as we see Margot trying to learn who she is. Her family relationships, especially the rocky one between her and her mom, as well as the new friendships she forms, felt so real to me. I could perfectly imagine life in her apartment: candle lit, fridge semi-filled, too much waiting in the summer heat. And Margot’s never-ending hunger for what she thinks of as a “real family,” with love sweet like cotton candy. I can’t pretend to understand her specific situation, but Power wrote with such clarity and compassion that I truly felt for Margot. And let’s not forget the horror! Oh my goodness, I was not expecting the reveals. Everything builds up to the conclusion in a way that had me marveling at the foreshadowing. The body horror builds over the course of the story in a different way than in Wilder Girls, but I loved Power’s descriptions just as much. She has a very careful way about her words, and I was sucked into the visuals of Margot’s family and Phalene immediately. I’m giving Burn Our Bodies Down 5/5 stars, and I’m so glad it soared above my expectations as one of my most anticipated novels of 2020. Buy it, y’all!
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The BaronessHey, I'm Shreya! I love to read, write, travel, and drink tea. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of bookshop.org and I will earn a small commission if you click the above link and make a purchase.
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