Synopsis:
Six women—mothers, daughters, sisters–gone missing. When the first is found floating dead in the river, it reveals the disturbing truth of a small Ohio town. Inspired by the unsolved murders of the Chillicothe Six, this harrowing and haunting novel tells the story of two sisters, both of whom could be the next victims. On the Savage Side comes from the internationally-bestselling author of Betty.
Arcade and Daffodil are twin sisters born one minute apart. With their fiery red hair and thirst for an escape, they forge an unbreakable bond nurtured by both their grandmother’s stories and their imaginations. Together, they create a world where a patch of grass reveals an archaeologist’s dig, the smoke emerging from the local paper mill becomes the dust rising from wild horses galloping on the ground, and an abandoned 1950s convertible transforms into a time machine that can take them anywhere.
But the two sisters can’t escape the generational chaos that grips their family. Growing up in the shadow of the town, the sisters cling tight to one another. As an adult, Arcade wrestles with these memories of her life, just as a local woman is discovered drowned in the river. Soon, more bodies are found. While her friends disappear around her, Arcade is forced to reckon with the past while the killer circles ever closer. Arcade’s promise to keep herself and her sister safe becomes increasingly desperate while the powerful riptide of the savage side becomes more difficult to resist.
Drawing from the true story of women killed in her native Ohio, acclaimed novelist and poet Tiffany McDaniel has written a powerful literary testament and fearless elegy for missing women everywhere.
Edition:
E-ARC via Net Galley
Trigger Warnings:
Hover for Trigger WarningsMy Thoughts:
On the Savage Side is such a harrowing and beautiful story. It is harrowing in much the same way that Betty (hyperlink for that review) was. But it is also very, very different. McDaniel has taken something already very, very sad and personalized it. Which feels awful, but also much needed.
I had zero knowledge of the Chillicothe Six, and I don’t live but a few states over. I feel like that should have been more newsworthy – and still should be as they still have no idea who is responsible for the deaths of the women. But we all know the criminal justice system cares very little for women who are not white, at least middle class, and either in “respectable” fields, or homemakers. If you “fail” at any one of those requirements, it’s pretty much game over. Nobody gives a shit.
Probable Cause of Death: Being a Woman
On the Savage Side gives voice to the terrors felt by all of us outside of those very narrow parameters. See, Arc and Daf are the children of a drug addicted sex worker. Their mom and their aunt are well known by local law enforcement. And adulthood changes nothing. They continue around the cycle into which they were born – drug addiction, sex work, and extreme poverty.
There is no escape. The only hope they have is in the friends they have made – other drug addicted sex workers. And one by one their friends begin to disappear, only to turn up later in a fashion that will begin to feel very familiar if you’ve read up on the Chillicothe Six. And the police rule them suicides, accidents, etc. Despite the fact that each woman was clearly the victim of a killer. Because we know the police in reality don’t give a single shit about the safety of sex workers, and the world McDaniels has built is no different.
“We belong to grief until the engine goes out. Then we belong to the dirt, our bodies identical to other fallen things.”
I don’t want to say much, in order to mitigate the risk of spoilers, but…On the Savage Side is really incredible. It is incredibly sad, and it is incredibly poignant. If you want to see what life is like at the intersection of extreme poverty, drug addiction, sex work and gender I strongly suggest this book. It explores a very common reality for a shockingly large number of Americans in a way that is as unflinching as it is terrifying.
We like to believe that we are some modern Utopia here in America, but frankly that is only true for a small number of people. For most, yes, it is a mostly okay situation on the day to day, but for the remainder the world is a constant battle. A living nightmare, and a fight for their very lives every single day. And McDaniel has consistently done what she can to bring that to light.
My Rating:
This isn’t really going to be a fun read. But it is going to be an important and impactful one.
On the Savage Side By Tiffany McDaniel Knopf Published: February 14, 2023 ISBN: 9780593320709 Hardcover, Paperback, Audio, E-book 464 Pages
