Kindle Edition, 256 pages
Published February 24th 2015 by Valancourt Books (first published 1980)
4/5 Stars
If you're picking up a book written in 1980 by Michael McDowell and are expecting lots of action and explosions, you are probably looking in the wrong places. McDowell does an excellent job at creating suspenseful Southern Gothic, but it can seem slow to some readers. I personally have always enjoyed the atmospheric elements of this subgenre, but I understand it isn't for everyone.
The story starts with the death of a husband and a wife; both members of the Larkin family, who seems to be followed around by bad luck. Years later, their fourteen year old daughter gets brutally murdered and no one in Babylon has any idea who the culprit could be. The girl's grandmother and brother are left heartbroken and angry on their failing blueberry farm.
The town is a tight knit community, and no one wants to believe that one of their own could be responsible for something like this. But soon after strange things start happening in town, and for certain residents life will get a lot harder than it was before, because someone or somewhat is seeking vengeance.