120 pages, Paperback
Expected publication September 27, 2022
4/5 Stars
In Bound Feet, we follow Jodi and her friend through Portland's Chinese Garden and Ghost Museum on a night when spirits are said to be able to walk the earth. Both are grieving mothers, having lost their children way too soon. Jodi's mission is to leave an offering for her daughter Ella with the hope of seeing her precision baby once again. But in the end, something else wakes up, lurking around every corner.
Bound feet is a relatively short novella that explores friendship, child loss, and Chinese folklore. The story does a very good job of tying the various exhibits in the museum to happenings within, making the reader feel as if they were really there. Jodi's emotions are natural, and she quickly becomes a likable and relatable protagonist. The ending blew me away, and I'm not so sure that I wouldn't have done the same. My only gripe is with the prose the novella is written in, but this according to my own tastes, not any of the author's fault.
Thank you to the publisher for the arc!