A review by awanderingweasel
Antenora by Dori Lumpkin

dark relaxing tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Dori Lumpkin's novella, Antenora, is feral girlhood at its finest. Set against the backdrop of the Appalachian South, the story follows Abigail, who is grappling with her burgeoning sexuality, and Nora, a troubled girl (to put it lightly), as they grow up in oppressive Bethel. Antenora is an unsettling exploration of faith and queer existence in the suffocating grip of a community steeped in religious dogma.

The novel's strength lies in its atmospheric prose and its exploration of religious extremism. Lumpkin crafts a sense of unease from the first few pages:
When I was young, my mother used to tell me that the mountains around Bethel, Alabama were touched by angels. They protected us, she said. The way they jutted up out of the ground, sky-high and endless, keeping us in like a prison. Bethel was in a valley. A perfect valley, she said, keeping us safe from harm and the devil’s influence.

The author doesn't shy away from depicting the hypocrisy and cruelty that can fester within seemingly devout communities. The writing is vivid and pungent. While reading this, much of my time was spent highlighting passages and writing comments in the margins of my e-book.

I recommend Antenora to lovers of: atmospheric prose, complex characters, queer yearning, Southern Gothic horror, girls who can’t stop thinking about kissing, and a bit of gore.

Thanks to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book! All opinions are my own.