Michael McDowell

The elementals

The Elementals

Sandrin

They had me in the first half not gonna lie.

What even was this book???

The writing was fine and very to the point, but the atmosphere was all over the place, maybe because the author couldn't decide what they wanted exactly from the scenes?

At first I was ok with the peculiar characters and their strangeness was almost charming. Unfortunately, they were a little bit too much "Sweet Home Alabama" for my taste and their repetitive questions followed by the same explanations, WHILE leaving other mysteries unanswered, annoyed the shit out of me.

i have to praise the very engaging and beautiful imagery in this book. there was so much detail, i had a fully-fleshed out visual in my head of everything. it really connected me to the settings and characters in a way i haven’t experienced in a while, and accompanied by the creeping progression of the plot, it created a thrilling, suspenseful story. i really loved the southern beach setting, and how it was used to make a sort of languorous tone to juxtapose with the horror aspects. just an overall very addicting read

lance

Excellent in pace, plotting and atmosphere. McDowell has a way with dialogue, and he packs a lot of meaning into completely ordinary interactions. I know each one of the characters as distinct, fascinating people, and I wouldn't really want to talk to any of them, except maybe India. 

Minus half a star for the stereotypes/tropes in Odessa's characterization. Minus the other half for what becomes of her and what India gains from it.

Boothby

Excellent in pace, plotting and atmosphere. McDowell has a way with dialogue, and he packs a lot of meaning into completely ordinary interactions. I know each one of the characters as distinct, fascinating people, and I wouldn't really want to talk to any of them, except maybe India. 

Minus half a star for the stereotypes/tropes in Odessa's characterization. Minus the other half for what becomes of her and what India gains from it.

Janice Hopper

** spoiler alert **
           This book was creepy af.

It starts with the funeral of the Savage family matriarch, Marian. The remaining family, Dauphin and Leigh Savage, Leigh's mother, Big Barbara, brother Luker and Luker's daughter India, and loyal family servant Odessa, all head down to the family retreat on the Gulf of Mexico, Beldame. There are three Victorian houses there. One of them exudes a sense of dread and menace. It's also being swallowed by a giant sand dune.

This is Southern Gothic. The Savages are an old, wealthy family from Mobile, Alabama. There's a certain amount of eccentricity in the people and the situation. The tension starts to build fairly early, starting with the creepy events at Beldame that start happening almost right away.

The ending was darker than I expected. The narration was excellent. I was sucked in and dragged along, kinda like being caught in a rip current. Good stuff. But creepy. Seriously creepy.

Props to McDowell for figuring how to write a Southern beach gothic ⛱️ 🏚️ ☠️

The book itself scores probably a 3 to 3.5 stars of 5 total, but the audio narration by RC Bray is a 5-star performance. 

Ashlyn

Props to McDowell for figuring how to write a Southern beach gothic ⛱️ 🏚️ ☠️

The book itself scores probably a 3 to 3.5 stars of 5 total, but the audio narration by RC Bray is a 5-star performance. 

Something terrifying waits in the decaying Victorian house on the coast, something that has haunted two men since they were children, something that may be ready to kill...again.

Hazel

As a current resident of Alabama, I was excited to read a haunted house story set here. I love Southern Gothics, and this was an excellent addition to the genre. 
I really enjoyed McDowell's writing style; it felt antiquated but interesting. It's also noteworthy that Michael McDowell wrote the screenplays for both 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘴 and 𝘉𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘫𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘦. 

My complaint would be the absolute oddity that is India and Luker's relationship. Father and daughter? A father that doesn't even notice that his 13yo daughter is present while he's naked or taking quaaludes? A 13yo who drinks sherry and speaks like a 30yo woman? 
I don't think this was a lack of ability to write female characters. I think this was intentionally done by the author to highlight the bizarre familial relationships the entire Savage-McCray family has, and to unbalance the reader. It worked.
5⭐️

Kristina Masone

Listened to the audiobook- don't remember a thing. I'll revisit physically and update accordingly.

Y'all will have to give me a minute to still my beating heart, because this book got as intense as any horror movie I've seen, and had me jumping at the slightest noise in my house. I had to take a break before the last chapter because it got me so riled.

This is, by far, the better novel by Michael McDowell out of the two I have read, but both are splendid. How on Earth have I not known about McDowell before? He has original stories, sets the mood perfectly, and makes today's writers look like hacks.

I'll definitely be picking up more of his books when I get the chance. This was much more than a ghost story- it was a tale of the South and families mixed with superstition, voodoo, and death. Lots and lots of death. This is the kind of book that could make you wish for a circle of salt and some sage. Maybe a priest on speed dial. Magnificent.

The elementals

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