The Only Good Indians

by Stephen Graham Jones

Shaun Taylor-Corbett (Narrator)

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

From USA TODAY bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones comes a “masterpiece” (Locus Magazine) of a novel about revenge, cultural identity, and the cost of breaking from tradition. Labeled “one of 2020’s buzziest horror novels” (Entertainment Weekly), this is a remarkable horror story that “will give you nightmares—the good kind of course” (BuzzFeed).

From New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones comes a novel that is equal parts psychological horror and cutting social commentary on identity politics and the American Indian experience. Fans of Jordan Peele and Tommy Orange will love this story as it follows the lives of four American Indian men and their families, all haunted by a disturbing, deadly event that took place in their youth. Years later, they find themselves tracked by an entity bent on revenge, totally helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.

• ISBN10: 1797105558
• ISBN13: 9781797105550
• Publish Date: 14 July 2020 (first published 7 July 2020)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Edition: Unabridged
• Format: Audiobook
• Duration: 9 hours and 31 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[pamela]

The Only Good Indians was a great novella, and instead of quitting while he was ahead, Stephen Graham Jones just kept on writing, making what could have been an interesting, thought-provoking horror work into a book that was harder work than any 300-page novel had any right to be.

I found it incredibly difficult to connect with this book, which was a shame, because it was brimming with potential. Explanation was abandoned in favour of repetition, and the developed characters were discarded halfway through in favour of a second act that just dragged and added very little to the narrative. Add to that a long, drawn-out basketball scene that goes on for pages and pages and added absolutely nothing to the story and you've got a book that just didn't quite hit.

Where The Only Good Indians shines is in its representation and analysis of Native American culture. Each of the characters has a different and personal relationship with it, and that is what I wanted to see more of. The folk-horror elements of the novel were the best parts - the folk stories of our heritage are often the hardest to shake and make peace with. And while I acknowledge it's entirely a personal taste, I would have preferred more emphasis on the cultural elements and personal stories rather than the grizzly, gory details of animal death and brutality. That brutality served a purpose, especially in the descriptions of the elk, but I found the parts about dog torture incredibly difficult to get through, and it kind of ruined the reading experience for me a bit. At its heart, I think The Only Good Indians was literary, so when it fell on tired horror gore tropes I found it rather jarring.

Overall, The Only Good Indians just didn't connect with me. It wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't an enjoyable one. The best parts of it were spoiled by a meandering plot and poor characterisation when there was potential for it to be so much more.

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of The Only Good Indians through BookishFirst in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Only Good Indians is the latest horror novel to come out of the mind of Stephen Graham Jones, and it is a truly chilling (and graphic) tale worth reading. If you're looking for a novel that terrifies as it unfolds, then you're going to want to check this one out.

This is a novel that blends concepts of horror (revenge, hunting, the unknown) with cultural identity, messages of import, and so much more. That makes The Only Good Indians stand out amongst the rest of the horror novels I've read in recent times.

Four men are haunted by one horrible mistake they made when they were younger. Unfortunately, they're not the only ones haunted by what was done. For the victim has come back to wreak revenge on them, and no one is safe.

“The best jokes are the ones that have a kind of message to them. A warning.”

Warnings: There is a lot of graphic imagery to be found in The Only Good Indians. We're talking graphic death scenes, violence, gore, and more. There's also several detailed depictions of animal deaths, from domestic pets to hunted animals. It was a lot for me to take in, and as such I had to take dozens of breaks while reading this one. So consider yourself warned.

The Only Good Indians is arguably the most disturbing novel I've read this year. And I honestly mean that in the best ways possible. It was dark, chilling, and unfolded in such an elegant and compelling manner.

I mentioned in my warning that there were a lot of heavier scenes in this novel, including lots of graphic depictions. I'm bringing it up again here, to emphasize a point. Some of these scenes really were dark and alarming. Had the writing not been so fantastic, I would have walked away from this book without a second glance.

But I didn't. I kept coming back...because I had to see what happened next. That's how addictive and compelling the writing was. I was willing to put myself through those scenes – again and again – in order to see it through to the end.

If that isn't the perfect example of a horror novel experience, then I don't know what is. All I can say is that this book really got to me. It had all of those terrifying tones, and then some. The writing carried the plot so much farther though, because of the way Stephen Graham Jones unveiled the truth.

There was something powerful in the way the plot was revealed. In the hunt. It was chilling, obviously. But it also struck a chord. I find that to be all the more disturbing, while also being oddly beautiful.

Another brilliant feature of this novel? The perspectives. The decision to introduce us to several different characters over the course of this tale was an interesting choice. Yet it paid off, especially towards the end. I honestly don't think it could have been the same story without the method in which it was told.

All things considered, The Only Good Indians was quite the reading experience. If you're looking for a novel that breaks all expectations, while telling a terrifying tale full of impact, then this is the novel for you.

Check out more of my reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks