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A review by mediaevalmuse
Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff
3.0
I picked up this book after the buzz of excitement following the announcement that Jordan Peele’s next project would be an adaptation of this novel. On the surface, it had everything I was looking for: Lovecraftian horror, race politics (I’m always up for a “fuck you” to Lovecraft’s original racist views), historical drama. In some ways, this book was a delight, but I didn’t wholeheartedly love it the way other people seem to. Even so, I’d recommend giving this book a whirl, both if you’re interested in Peele’s work or if you’re a Lovecraft fan.
Things I Liked
1. Women: The most interesting stories in this book were the ones focused on the female family members. One of them buys a haunted house with a racist ghost in it but is too strong-willed to leave. One has been studying astronomy since childhood and gets the chance to portal to another planet. One has an elixir that allows her to become white (for a time). For me, these stories were the most meaningful because they tapped into the characters’ dreams and fears.
2. Parallels With Literature: One of my favorite parts in the novel was Ruby’s story. Ruby drinks an elixir that allows her to become white for a short time, and her story is paralleled with discussions of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde. Where this story was most interesting however, was its implication that whiteness was associated with Hyde - white people get to act impulsively, selfishly, and even commit crimes without remorse. I also liked that Ruby treated her white alter ego as another person entirely, which further strengthened the parallels and made interesting comments on taking responsibility for one’s own actions.
3. “Safe Negro Travel Guide”: A big chunk of this book is centered around the family business - a travel agency that publishes a travel guide that lets black people know which places are safe and which are hostile. This guide is based on Hugo Green’s Negro Motorist Green Book, and I loved the idea of using it as a way to frame the novel and give characters a reason to travel to random places. I also like the idea of checking out new places as a kind of prelude to horror - it sets up the travel as something mysterious and unknown.
Things I Didn’t Like
1. Prose: Maybe it’s an effect of reading a lot of old stuff, but I like my prose to be poetic and my horror to be visceral. Ruff’s prose was, admittedly, a little boring. There was a lot of matter-of-fact statements of what was going on in addition to characters sitting around and talking for long stretches at a time. As a result, I didn’t feel the suspense, dread, or horror that I think his stories were trying to evoke.
2. Episodic Storytelling: Though the back of this book says this novel is about several family members, the experience of reading it felt like going through a collection of short stories. Chapters weren’t really connected strongly to each other, and while I can appreciate such a setup, I didn’t like it without a stronger intro or something to prepare me as a reader for this experience.
3. Pace: Probably due to the episodic storytelling, I felt like there were a lot of moments that were not adequately explored. Plot points felt rushed, things appeared out of nowhere, and there wasn’t enough world-building or setup to really root me in what kind of universe the characters are living in. As a result, it was hard to feel suspense or horror. I felt, rather, like I was being shuttled around abruptly from plot point to plot point without having the breathing room to let things sink in and have an effect on me.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in Lovecraftian horror, horror tropes, American history, Jim Crow-era history, magic, wizardry, secret societies, and POC protagonists.
Things I Liked
1. Women: The most interesting stories in this book were the ones focused on the female family members. One of them buys a haunted house with a racist ghost in it but is too strong-willed to leave. One has been studying astronomy since childhood and gets the chance to portal to another planet. One has an elixir that allows her to become white (for a time). For me, these stories were the most meaningful because they tapped into the characters’ dreams and fears.
2. Parallels With Literature: One of my favorite parts in the novel was Ruby’s story. Ruby drinks an elixir that allows her to become white for a short time, and her story is paralleled with discussions of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde. Where this story was most interesting however, was its implication that whiteness was associated with Hyde - white people get to act impulsively, selfishly, and even commit crimes without remorse. I also liked that Ruby treated her white alter ego as another person entirely, which further strengthened the parallels and made interesting comments on taking responsibility for one’s own actions.
3. “Safe Negro Travel Guide”: A big chunk of this book is centered around the family business - a travel agency that publishes a travel guide that lets black people know which places are safe and which are hostile. This guide is based on Hugo Green’s Negro Motorist Green Book, and I loved the idea of using it as a way to frame the novel and give characters a reason to travel to random places. I also like the idea of checking out new places as a kind of prelude to horror - it sets up the travel as something mysterious and unknown.
Things I Didn’t Like
1. Prose: Maybe it’s an effect of reading a lot of old stuff, but I like my prose to be poetic and my horror to be visceral. Ruff’s prose was, admittedly, a little boring. There was a lot of matter-of-fact statements of what was going on in addition to characters sitting around and talking for long stretches at a time. As a result, I didn’t feel the suspense, dread, or horror that I think his stories were trying to evoke.
2. Episodic Storytelling: Though the back of this book says this novel is about several family members, the experience of reading it felt like going through a collection of short stories. Chapters weren’t really connected strongly to each other, and while I can appreciate such a setup, I didn’t like it without a stronger intro or something to prepare me as a reader for this experience.
3. Pace: Probably due to the episodic storytelling, I felt like there were a lot of moments that were not adequately explored. Plot points felt rushed, things appeared out of nowhere, and there wasn’t enough world-building or setup to really root me in what kind of universe the characters are living in. As a result, it was hard to feel suspense or horror. I felt, rather, like I was being shuttled around abruptly from plot point to plot point without having the breathing room to let things sink in and have an effect on me.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in Lovecraftian horror, horror tropes, American history, Jim Crow-era history, magic, wizardry, secret societies, and POC protagonists.