Just because it's short fiction doesn't mean it can't be deep and filled with meaning, metaphors and social commentary. This manages all that whilst remaining an easily accessible read, and low key creepy as hell with a gut punch ending.
Junior is a Native American boy who leads a troubled life and is wildly protective of his young brother Dino who suffers from fits and has learning difficulties. One night aged 12, he thinks he sees the ghost of his father walking through the house . His quest for explanations leads to darker places than he could possibly have imagined.
I know a lot of people have issues with SGJ's style, but though it's still very evident here, I found this book is a lot more accessible than The Only Good Indians which took me a fair time to tune into.
The back cover suggests that this is a House of Leaves type story where the house has hidden spaces not of this earth, but it's more that he finds out what's inside himself and what he's capable of doing.
It's not a perfect novella, the ambiguity as to whether he's actually seen something or if it's all in his mind goes on for a bit too long before he confirms one way or another. There are some sequences where it's not entirely clear what's just happened and I did reread a couple of pages for clarity.
It will certainly reward a second full reading at some point. Junior was a sympathetic narrator with a creepy story to tell. There are enough layers to the story that I know I'll see new meanings next time I follow the maps into the interior of this character's head.
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