Another ARC from Cemetery Dance, and after the disappointment of the previous book, this one has well and truly restored my faith.
Which is ironic since this book centres around a woman priest with faith issues of her own.
Mother Kaye is an Episcopalian priest in the almost ghost town of Owlingsville (pronounced Oh-lings Ville not OWL-ingsville). This novella follows her as she loses first her faith, and then her sanity, and then… well, I’m not 100% certain to be honest. All that and a strange meeting with an ancient Roman God thrown in for good measure.
It might be light on plot, but it’s one of the most satisfying reads I’ve had this year.
What makes this book is Cushing’s writing. She writes in an off-kilter conversational style unlike anything I can recall. In the 100 pages of this book, I almost feel like I’ve lived in this small town. I’ve laughed at the residents, and with Mother Kaye. I've felt annoyed at the residents on Mother Kaye's behalf.
This novella is witty, absurdist, clever and weird. It covers a whole range subjects in it's slim number of pages. Anyone who can make religious ponderings this compulsive to read is a hell of a talented writer. She manages to make Mother Kaye’s internal conflicts perfectly entertaining and her descent into madness is disturbing on a whole different level.
As soon as I finished it, I wanted to go back and read it again, it is that well written. I will certainly be buying a physical copy. It's not like any other horror novel I've read, but it's certainly under the umbrella.
Nicole Cushing was a brand new name to me before I read this. She has been added straight onto my list of must-read authors.
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