Other E.V. Knight books I’ve reviewed
Synopsis:
In 1973, a commune of almost twenty-five people—mostly women and children—disappeared overnight from the small town of West Burma, WI. What happened to the hippie Children of Demeter has remained a mystery until this day, which is what draws Sarah Bisset, a sociologist on sabbatical, to the place.
With her personal life in ruins Sarah is more than happy to lose herself in the secrets of the isolated farmhouse, but soon those revelations have her questioning her own identity, and even her sanity. Is she prepared to navigate the labyrinth of lies and cover ups to expose the truth concealed inside Demeter House despite the consequences?
Edition:
Paperback ARC
Disclaimer:
I received a copy of Children of Demeter from the publisher in exchange for review consideration. This does not impact the content of my review in any way.
My Thoughts:
Ok, look: I’m officially an E.V. Knight Fangirl. You probably remember me fawning over The Fourth Whore (I linked to that up top under the heading Other E.V. Knight books I’ve reviewed), and it turns out that wasn’t a one time thing. E.V. is the real deal. Although Children of Demeter is fundamentally a very different type of story, it is every bit as fantastic. You won’t find Whore’s grit, gore, or female rage here. Instead, Children of Demeter gives us an eerie, psychedelic story steeped in mythology, cult activity and nature worship.
Sarah Bisset is the type of character that really draws you in. Sarah’s a regular woman in her mid-40s. She’s got herself a career in academia, a recently dead and now infamously unfaithful husband, and a best friend to top all best friends. She’s also got some money from her shitty husband’s not-so-shitty life insurance policy which allows her to set herself up at Demeter House, where she plans to really dig into the history of the commune.
“Things at Demeter House were coming back to life.”
I really love the way that the story feels as though it moves in time with Sarah’s uncovering of a secret that I don’t want to tell you about within Demeter House. It keeps what is otherwise a fairly slow burn of a tale from ever really feeling slow. Between that and the deep, shocking secrets being held by nearly every character we meet in the town surrounding Demeter House, I found I couldn’t put this damn book down. I just wanted to sit in one spot until I finished it. Alas, I couldn’t because I was reading it on my breaks at work, but it is short enough that if you plan it out right, you could definitely do just that. And I highly recommend that you do.
There is a preorder incentive for Children of Demeter if you hit it quickly enough (I’ve got a whole list of that stuff here)!
Rating:
She’s an auto-buy for me from here on out.
Children of Demeter By E.V. Knight Raw Dog Screaming Press Publishing: August 5, 2021 ISBN: 9781947879331 Format: Paperback 190 Pages
If you miss the preorder window, you can always pick it up here using my affiliate link (please note that if you choose to pick it up through my Bookshop link, not only are you helping support your local booksellers (you can even select a specific store), but I will also receive a small commission on the sale, which I use to help offset the cost of running this site.
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