The Only Good Indians, where literary meets horror for a beautifully written own voices story.
First things first, drop all your expectations and presumptions. You have to let the words have their meaning. Open yourself up for this chillingly heartbreaking, yet hopeful story to unfold the way it's meant to.
I will admit that there were times this book was a little difficult to listen to due the extremely descriptive killing of elk, yet I made myself listen because I knew it was an important part of the story (I just won't be eating burritos for a while 🤢🤣). It was indeed vital to the story, and if my vegan, animal rescuing self can listen to it, I think most can. If you do feel the need to skip ahead, don't skip too far forward.
About halfway through I became a bit confused and backtracked to the previous track to see if I missed something, which I hadn't. I just needed to be patient and continuing listening to understand that it was just a different POV at that point. I fully admit I am not the most patient person around lol. If you find yourself being confused while listening to or reading this book, the end has the answers. So patience really is key here, and this is not an audiobook you can listen to while driving, you really need to pay attention to this one.
The narrator for the audiobook is fantastic. Until I hit the midway point, I had no problem with following the story. I may have had more difficulty if I was reading the book myself. I ordered a physical copy and I'll be reading it to compare. Yes, I truly loved it so much that I ordered myself a copy. I need to read this myself and take my time with it, allowing myself to fully absorb this story.
I've seen where a lot of people are disappointed in this book because it's not what they consider to be horror. Keep in mind there are different subgenres of horror and this definitely falls into the category of the old traditional horror with a more haunting feel. It reminded me a lot of reading Shirley Jackson's books and, yes, Paul Tremblay's.
If you're currently reading or listening to this one and considering giving up, I get it, but I also encourage you to challenge yourself and try continuing forward just a little longer. The second half of the book is truly something else. The end is phenomenal, so beautifully done. If you're really confused and have questions, feel free to message me. I have lots of thoughts and feelings on this one. I clearly don't have all the answers but I do have a lot of thoughts.
I know The Only Good Indians will not be for everyone. The prose is captivating and magnificent, but if you aren't used to literary works, or don't care for literary books, it just might not work for you.
Huge thanks to libro.fm , Netgalley, and Simon & Schuster audio/Saga Press for the ALC and the opportunity to provide my thoughts.