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Mapping the Interior
Walking through his own house at night, a fifteen-year-old thinks he sees another person stepping through a doorway. Instead of the people who could be there, his mother or his brother, the figure reminds him of his long-gone father, who died mysteriously before his family left the reservation. When he follows it he discovers his house is bigger and deeper than he knew.
The house is the kind of wrong place where you can lose yourself and find things you'd rather not have. Over the course of a few nights, the boy tries to map out his house in an effort that puts his little brother in the worst danger, and puts him in the position to save them . . . at terrible cost.
The house is the kind of wrong place where you can lose yourself and find things you'd rather not have. Over the course of a few nights, the boy tries to map out his house in an effort that puts his little brother in the worst danger, and puts him in the position to save them . . . at terrible cost.
112 pages, Paperback
First published June 20, 2017
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31153 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Graham Jones
235 books14.5k followersStephen Graham Jones is the NYT bestselling author thirty-five or so books. He really likes werewolves and slashers. Favorite novels change daily, but Valis and Love Medicine and Lonesome Dove and It and The Things They Carried are all usually up there somewhere. Stephen lives in Boulder, Colorado. It's a big change from the West Texas he grew up in.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,423 reviews
January 18, 2025
Mapping the Interior touched me in a way that's hard to define.
A young man, missing and thinking of the father who died before he could really be known, believes he saw his father coming through a doorway. From there, we learn more about this young man, his family, Native American culture, and superstitions.
In a way, this could be interpreted as a ghost story. In another interpretation it could be thought of a coming of age story-with perhaps a little psychological horror on the side. However it's interpreted, whatever genre it's labeled, the fact remains that it moves the reader. It's a powerful piece of work.
I'm not going to go further into the plot, because I think the reader should discover it for themselves. I know that it brought me back to certain points in my childhood and how I felt about things, but I can't seem to adequately explain how it made me feel. Mapping the Interior resonated deeply with me and I'll have to leave it at that. I give it my highest recommendation.
You can order a copy here: Mapping the Interior
*ARC from publisher*
A young man, missing and thinking of the father who died before he could really be known, believes he saw his father coming through a doorway. From there, we learn more about this young man, his family, Native American culture, and superstitions.
In a way, this could be interpreted as a ghost story. In another interpretation it could be thought of a coming of age story-with perhaps a little psychological horror on the side. However it's interpreted, whatever genre it's labeled, the fact remains that it moves the reader. It's a powerful piece of work.
I'm not going to go further into the plot, because I think the reader should discover it for themselves. I know that it brought me back to certain points in my childhood and how I felt about things, but I can't seem to adequately explain how it made me feel. Mapping the Interior resonated deeply with me and I'll have to leave it at that. I give it my highest recommendation.
You can order a copy here: Mapping the Interior
*ARC from publisher*
March 31, 2023
This is a very haunting and atmospheric tale that I think many readers will interpret differently, and feel a vast range of emotions. This is ownvoices for the Native representations, and this novella stars a young boy, living on a reservation with his family, who is seeing his dead father's ghost. And his father's ghost is very different than the man our main characters remembers.
But this is a story about grief, and loss, and cycles of becoming our parents when sometimes we feel like we would do anything to not become them. This is a story about identity and heritage and how those things can feel so close and so far away at the same time. And this is just an unsettling tale about loss and the things we will do to cope with losing people we love.
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Content and Trigger Warnings for loss of a loved one, grief depiction, self-inflicted pain, seizures, animal violence, bullying, abuse, gore, and caution for emetophobia.
But this is a story about grief, and loss, and cycles of becoming our parents when sometimes we feel like we would do anything to not become them. This is a story about identity and heritage and how those things can feel so close and so far away at the same time. And this is just an unsettling tale about loss and the things we will do to cope with losing people we love.
Youtube | Instagram | Twitter | Blog | Spotify | Twitch
Content and Trigger Warnings for loss of a loved one, grief depiction, self-inflicted pain, seizures, animal violence, bullying, abuse, gore, and caution for emetophobia.
December 17, 2024
“I'm all right," I told her. This is a lie, when you're twelve. And all the other years, too.”
― Stephen Graham Jones, Mapping the Interior
“You never tell your mom anything that might worry her. Moms have enough to worry about already.”
― Stephen Graham Jones, Mapping the Interior
Updated for a new edition coming from Tor.com
This book is the first book by Stephen Graham Jones that I read and it will forever stand as my favorite. It cemented Jones as a favorite author. If you're new to reading his work, this is quintessential reading and if I had it my way, this would be every reader's introduction. It perfectly captures the essence of who he is as a storyteller.
I'm going to attempt to write this review after *just* finishing this story but just know, it killed me. I'm dead.
This is what I like to lovingly call a "gut punch".
SGJ pulls you into this 12-year-old boy's head space effortlessly. Being an avid reader of the horror genre, my particular sweet spot is for stories narrated by young boys on the cusp of manhood. There's just a layer of emotional investment for me, being a mother of two boys (now men).
Junior is being raised by his mother, a widow, who lives outside of the Indian reservation to "save her boys from drowning"<--- just read it to get that. Junior's brother, Dino, has special needs.
I mean, KILL ME NOW.
I was already in tears by the time the story got rolling 20ish pages into this short novella.
The world stopped at least twice while I was reading and I don't think I was breathing.
Now that it's over and I'm digesting everything I just read, I can still feel SGJ pulling on my heartstrings and it HURTS.
It hurts BAAAAD.
I loved these 50 some odd pages as much as I love just about anything. It's full of everything that makes me tick as a reader. Symbolism, foreshadowing, suspense, tension, fear, concern and an emotional tidal wave that sucks you out to sea and spits you out.
I'm thankful for my little journey today, even though I'm a little worse for wear. And I'm *really* thankful for the ending. That redemption was hoped for.
I hope this is our Shirley Jackson winner. Fully deserved.
― Stephen Graham Jones, Mapping the Interior
“You never tell your mom anything that might worry her. Moms have enough to worry about already.”
― Stephen Graham Jones, Mapping the Interior
Updated for a new edition coming from Tor.com
This book is the first book by Stephen Graham Jones that I read and it will forever stand as my favorite. It cemented Jones as a favorite author. If you're new to reading his work, this is quintessential reading and if I had it my way, this would be every reader's introduction. It perfectly captures the essence of who he is as a storyteller.
I'm going to attempt to write this review after *just* finishing this story but just know, it killed me. I'm dead.
This is what I like to lovingly call a "gut punch".
SGJ pulls you into this 12-year-old boy's head space effortlessly. Being an avid reader of the horror genre, my particular sweet spot is for stories narrated by young boys on the cusp of manhood. There's just a layer of emotional investment for me, being a mother of two boys (now men).
Junior is being raised by his mother, a widow, who lives outside of the Indian reservation to "save her boys from drowning"<--- just read it to get that. Junior's brother, Dino, has special needs.
I mean, KILL ME NOW.
I was already in tears by the time the story got rolling 20ish pages into this short novella.
The world stopped at least twice while I was reading and I don't think I was breathing.
Now that it's over and I'm digesting everything I just read, I can still feel SGJ pulling on my heartstrings and it HURTS.
It hurts BAAAAD.
I loved these 50 some odd pages as much as I love just about anything. It's full of everything that makes me tick as a reader. Symbolism, foreshadowing, suspense, tension, fear, concern and an emotional tidal wave that sucks you out to sea and spits you out.
I'm thankful for my little journey today, even though I'm a little worse for wear. And I'm *really* thankful for the ending. That redemption was hoped for.
I hope this is our Shirley Jackson winner. Fully deserved.
June 23, 2017
You know when you read a book and you know that at least 50% of the symbolism, comparisons, philosophy and psychology went over your head? That's what Mapping the Interior felt like to me. I know there is obviously a lot of importance and density to this novella but ask me to explain it or pull out snippets and I struggle knowing I missed a lot of somethings I can't articulate.
"There are rules, I know. Not knowing them doesn't mean they don't apply to you.
This is a story of a Native American boy whose mourning a lost father, coping with leaving the reserve, trying to protect his damaged little brother and be the man of the house for his mom. It's a sad story and one I have heard variations of from other Natives in Canada many times. Having attended a junior high school where we had reserve kids it was always obvious that us "city kids" (as they called us) had it pretty darn good. Even those who didn't have it so good we're still better off in comparison. So very sad and yet so true.
"...like the same stupid person is trying life after life until he gets it right at last."
Mapping the Interior is about the cycle of shame, loss and how you are destined to be your fathers son whether you want to be or not.
And while, again, I'm not sure I understood all the nuances of the book I'm glad I read it. If only for a reminder, in the year that Canada celebrates 150 years as a nation, that we built this nation on top of others existing culture and life. Be it right or wrong at the time it happened, and given we can't change that, we should at least remember and reach a hand out to help break the cycle and provide opportunities for those children and adults who are stuck in a life of poverty and helplessness.
It's difficult to give literature like this a rating. It almost feels inappropriate to rate it. Like I can't put a value on something I can't entirely understand. So I will give four stars because it's an important story told in this novella, but the deep metaphorical overlay of the story leaves me feeling inadequate and doesn't make its point in an easily accessible way.
To read this and more of my reviews visit my blog at Epic Reading
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
"There are rules, I know. Not knowing them doesn't mean they don't apply to you.
This is a story of a Native American boy whose mourning a lost father, coping with leaving the reserve, trying to protect his damaged little brother and be the man of the house for his mom. It's a sad story and one I have heard variations of from other Natives in Canada many times. Having attended a junior high school where we had reserve kids it was always obvious that us "city kids" (as they called us) had it pretty darn good. Even those who didn't have it so good we're still better off in comparison. So very sad and yet so true.
"...like the same stupid person is trying life after life until he gets it right at last."
Mapping the Interior is about the cycle of shame, loss and how you are destined to be your fathers son whether you want to be or not.
And while, again, I'm not sure I understood all the nuances of the book I'm glad I read it. If only for a reminder, in the year that Canada celebrates 150 years as a nation, that we built this nation on top of others existing culture and life. Be it right or wrong at the time it happened, and given we can't change that, we should at least remember and reach a hand out to help break the cycle and provide opportunities for those children and adults who are stuck in a life of poverty and helplessness.
It's difficult to give literature like this a rating. It almost feels inappropriate to rate it. Like I can't put a value on something I can't entirely understand. So I will give four stars because it's an important story told in this novella, but the deep metaphorical overlay of the story leaves me feeling inadequate and doesn't make its point in an easily accessible way.
To read this and more of my reviews visit my blog at Epic Reading
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
April 29, 2025
4.0 Stars
This is a slow burning literary fiction horror novel. I appreciate the subtle psychological aspect of this one, dealing with familiar grief.
I can be hit or miss with haunted house stories but this one didn't fit the usual tropes. Instead this one felt fresh and special.
I would recommend this one to horror readers who appreciate a good, subtle horror story, where the suspense is more mental physical.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
This is a slow burning literary fiction horror novel. I appreciate the subtle psychological aspect of this one, dealing with familiar grief.
I can be hit or miss with haunted house stories but this one didn't fit the usual tropes. Instead this one felt fresh and special.
I would recommend this one to horror readers who appreciate a good, subtle horror story, where the suspense is more mental physical.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
November 25, 2022
“Mapping the Interior” by Stephen Graham Jones starts out pretty interesting as I enjoyed learning about all sorts of Indian culture. I liked all the references to that as I learned a lot from them as it was a slow burn of a novella at first.
Now, the thing is, I went into this thinking it would be what I’m used to when it comes to his style of writing. You know, incredibly scary situations, events, in-depth character development, and everything else in between. Instead, this felt more like an emotional read about family, Indian culture, losing a family member that meant a lot to you, and just trying to cope with that kind of pain.
This felt more like a paranormal/supernatural kind of story than full-on horror, which is more of what I enjoy. Regardless, this was a very unique and interesting read that had its moments but for me, got a bit confusing and dragged on with things that just didn’t make much sense to me as they happened.
I believe this was probably written that way to leave it to interpretation by readers. I don’t mind that but prefer straightforward writing about horror and not so much a dark fantasy that deals with the topics I mentioned. As usual, Graham Jones is a fantastic writer but as I said, I prefer scarier stories that keep me up at night. Not so much emotional adventures such as this one.
I give “Mapping the Interior” by Stephen Graham Jones a 3/5 as it just didn’t really do it for me but his writing style is and always has been fantastic. I enjoyed all the Indian culture references as well as an overall interesting story but it just didn’t connect with me since I wanted a lot more horror and scarier situations. Either way, it’s not a terrible story or anything, it just wasn’t for me and as I always say, reading is and forever will be subjective.
Some readers will absolutely love this novella and others not so much. Regardless, I still genuinely enjoy his work and will continue reading what he’s written as well as anything new that comes out in the future. He’s that great and I’m glad I read this novella but in the grand scheme of things, it just didn’t do it for me and that’s okay. Onto the next one!
Now, the thing is, I went into this thinking it would be what I’m used to when it comes to his style of writing. You know, incredibly scary situations, events, in-depth character development, and everything else in between. Instead, this felt more like an emotional read about family, Indian culture, losing a family member that meant a lot to you, and just trying to cope with that kind of pain.
This felt more like a paranormal/supernatural kind of story than full-on horror, which is more of what I enjoy. Regardless, this was a very unique and interesting read that had its moments but for me, got a bit confusing and dragged on with things that just didn’t make much sense to me as they happened.
I believe this was probably written that way to leave it to interpretation by readers. I don’t mind that but prefer straightforward writing about horror and not so much a dark fantasy that deals with the topics I mentioned. As usual, Graham Jones is a fantastic writer but as I said, I prefer scarier stories that keep me up at night. Not so much emotional adventures such as this one.
I give “Mapping the Interior” by Stephen Graham Jones a 3/5 as it just didn’t really do it for me but his writing style is and always has been fantastic. I enjoyed all the Indian culture references as well as an overall interesting story but it just didn’t connect with me since I wanted a lot more horror and scarier situations. Either way, it’s not a terrible story or anything, it just wasn’t for me and as I always say, reading is and forever will be subjective.
Some readers will absolutely love this novella and others not so much. Regardless, I still genuinely enjoy his work and will continue reading what he’s written as well as anything new that comes out in the future. He’s that great and I’m glad I read this novella but in the grand scheme of things, it just didn’t do it for me and that’s okay. Onto the next one!
January 7, 2018
"In death, he had become what he never could in life. And now he was back."
While walking through his house late one night, a fifteen-year old boy thinks he sees his long-dead father stepping through a doorway. What follows is an exploration of this young boy, his family, and Native American culture.
I didn’t love this, nor did I hate it – I guess I’m just quite ambivalent about it. This is a really short novella and quite easy to just race through in one sitting. It did have a couple of unsettling or tense moments, and I liked the idea behind it, but the actual writing itself put me off at times. The sentences are quite choppy, which will sometimes work for me, but other times it will just irritate me – this was one of those times.
Mapping the Interior was a breath of fresh of air with regards to the Native American aspect, I’ve never really read any books before that explore Native American culture or superstition so that was really interesting and unique. It also felt quite raw and personal, with the protagonist and his brother, who is being bullied, coming across as particularly likeable. I also enjoyed how the story just kept going down routes that I hadn’t anticipated, although I feel like a lot of the meaning behind the story or the themes represented just went right over my head, perhaps I’d have enjoyed it more if I had picked up on those.
Overall, this is a pretty original “ghost story”, if you can even categorise it as that. I just wish I had understood it more. It wouldn’t put me off reading more from Stephen Graham Jones though!
While walking through his house late one night, a fifteen-year old boy thinks he sees his long-dead father stepping through a doorway. What follows is an exploration of this young boy, his family, and Native American culture.
I didn’t love this, nor did I hate it – I guess I’m just quite ambivalent about it. This is a really short novella and quite easy to just race through in one sitting. It did have a couple of unsettling or tense moments, and I liked the idea behind it, but the actual writing itself put me off at times. The sentences are quite choppy, which will sometimes work for me, but other times it will just irritate me – this was one of those times.
Mapping the Interior was a breath of fresh of air with regards to the Native American aspect, I’ve never really read any books before that explore Native American culture or superstition so that was really interesting and unique. It also felt quite raw and personal, with the protagonist and his brother, who is being bullied, coming across as particularly likeable. I also enjoyed how the story just kept going down routes that I hadn’t anticipated, although I feel like a lot of the meaning behind the story or the themes represented just went right over my head, perhaps I’d have enjoyed it more if I had picked up on those.
Overall, this is a pretty original “ghost story”, if you can even categorise it as that. I just wish I had understood it more. It wouldn’t put me off reading more from Stephen Graham Jones though!
March 15, 2025
Stephen Graham Jones always provides a unique reading experience. Mapping the Interior fits that bill perfectly. On the surface this book is about a fifteen-year-old native American teen, while sleepwalking one evening, sees an image of a person stepping though a doorway. He lives with his mother and younger brother and what he observes is neither or them but bears a strong resemblance to his father who died mysteriously.
This book is deep, man. It is deep. At first, I didn't know quite what to make of this book. I often initially feel, when I pick up a book by Stepehen Graham Jones, that I am in over my head. There were a few times during the course of reading this book that I wondered just what am I reading? His writing is wonderous, mesmerizing, dripping in symbolism, deep, and dark. He takes a story about a male teenager who lives with his mother and younger brother who has seizures, and swirls in culture, identity, trauma, loss, and memory.
Mapping the Interior is in the horror genre but is more horrific than horror. I will note that this book does have bullying and violence to animals.
3.5 stars
Thank you to Tor Publishing Group | Tor Nightfire and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com 📖
This book is deep, man. It is deep. At first, I didn't know quite what to make of this book. I often initially feel, when I pick up a book by Stepehen Graham Jones, that I am in over my head. There were a few times during the course of reading this book that I wondered just what am I reading? His writing is wonderous, mesmerizing, dripping in symbolism, deep, and dark. He takes a story about a male teenager who lives with his mother and younger brother who has seizures, and swirls in culture, identity, trauma, loss, and memory.
Mapping the Interior is in the horror genre but is more horrific than horror. I will note that this book does have bullying and violence to animals.
3.5 stars
Thank you to Tor Publishing Group | Tor Nightfire and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com 📖
February 22, 2023
Wow. The ending is a bit rushed, but man this one hits like a truck!! I don’t even really know how to describe it, but it’s definitely one of the more unique “haunting” stories I’ve read.
It’s told in Jones’ trademark voice, and was so haunting, emotional, and weird. It’ll stick with me for a while.
*this definitely falls into the category of “no plot just vibes” imo, so just a heads up in case that kind of storytelling is not for you.
It’s told in Jones’ trademark voice, and was so haunting, emotional, and weird. It’ll stick with me for a while.
*this definitely falls into the category of “no plot just vibes” imo, so just a heads up in case that kind of storytelling is not for you.
March 20, 2021
I first read Mapping the Interior about four years ago and didn't much care for it at the time due to the narrator's voice and sentence construction. This weekend I was given a chance to reread this novella for an upcoming episode of Staring Into The Abyss, a podcast I co-host in which our author guest chooses a favorite story by another author to discuss; this book is Shane Hawk's choice and I'm glad I was able to revisit this piece.
I'm not sure if it's my being in a better mood or clearer headspace, or having gotten on a few more years as a parent, or working a bit more with my own issues with my parents and some of those psychic scars that've been left behind, but I found myself a hell of a lot more receptive to Mapping the Interior this second time around. Maybe, too, it's having read more of Stephen Graham Jones's work in the intervening years and having a better understanding now than I did then of his voice and style. The dude really is a masterful storyteller, and his talents are stronger here than I had first realized. Again, not sure if it was a mood issue or having had a certain expectation for this book, but whatever had gone wrong for me back in 2017, things clicked a hell of a lot more for me in 2021.
Jones's writing style is certainly unique here, and it captures Junior's voice in a particular way that's honest to the character himself. Maybe knowing what style the author was aiming for helped me out more this second time around. Or maybe I was able to key in more on the coming-of-age component and a child's yearning for a lost father and the mythologizing of a figure that was largely a stranger, the way kids build up an image of their parents before they learn the ugly truth that mom and dad are really just people and terribly, sometimes tragically, flawed, and sometimes monstrously so.
Anyway, this book hit harder for me and I found myself more willfully opening up to it, and more receptive to the points I think Jones's was trying to get across. I'm taking away my previous two-star rating and knocking it up to four. This was a good read, and I'm looking forward to seeing what Hawk has to say about it when we meet in the Abyss.
I'm not sure if it's my being in a better mood or clearer headspace, or having gotten on a few more years as a parent, or working a bit more with my own issues with my parents and some of those psychic scars that've been left behind, but I found myself a hell of a lot more receptive to Mapping the Interior this second time around. Maybe, too, it's having read more of Stephen Graham Jones's work in the intervening years and having a better understanding now than I did then of his voice and style. The dude really is a masterful storyteller, and his talents are stronger here than I had first realized. Again, not sure if it was a mood issue or having had a certain expectation for this book, but whatever had gone wrong for me back in 2017, things clicked a hell of a lot more for me in 2021.
Jones's writing style is certainly unique here, and it captures Junior's voice in a particular way that's honest to the character himself. Maybe knowing what style the author was aiming for helped me out more this second time around. Or maybe I was able to key in more on the coming-of-age component and a child's yearning for a lost father and the mythologizing of a figure that was largely a stranger, the way kids build up an image of their parents before they learn the ugly truth that mom and dad are really just people and terribly, sometimes tragically, flawed, and sometimes monstrously so.
Anyway, this book hit harder for me and I found myself more willfully opening up to it, and more receptive to the points I think Jones's was trying to get across. I'm taking away my previous two-star rating and knocking it up to four. This was a good read, and I'm looking forward to seeing what Hawk has to say about it when we meet in the Abyss.
October 5, 2024
4 stars
short review for busy readers: a supernatural novella about a 12-year old Native American boy who believes he's seeing his dead father roaming the house at night. Expertly written and conveyed. Some truly frightening, movie-worthy scenes. Realistic about how many Native American families live, their traumas and desires. Authentic use of Native American speech patterns, which may be slightly confusing/irritating to general readers.
in detail:
I read one of Jones' obscure novels, Not for Nothing, in the early part of this year and loved it. The style is unusual and the narrative often puzzling, making it much less accessible than his popular works, but still a great read.
Mapping the Interior is in a similar style. Written with high linguistic authenticity and in total control of his subject matter, Jones gives us a 12-year old boy who sometimes speaks in sentence splices, which might take some getting used to.
What he’s doing, it’s pretending. What he’s doing, it’s waiting.
A typical trope in Native American literature to show that supernatural things are happening is for time to slow down. The character feels as if they are in a dream-like, or trance, existence. This happens here, blurring the lines between the emotions of a boy terribly missing his father and replacing that father in reality as 'the man of the house' at the same time.
One of the many points touched on in this intense work was the subject of patricide.
Generally speaking, psychologists say that boys must metaphorically "kill" their mothers to grow from being a child into being a man. It's a necessary psychological process that leads to the (temporary) disregarding/ rejection of the mother or making her into a joke or a monster that must either be utterly ignored or vanquished.
(Some classics of literature deal with this process, such as Lord of the Flies, as well as popular ones, like Crichton's Viking adventure, The 13th Warrior. )
Here, it's not the mother who has to be killed off for Junior to grow into his own man, but his drunken, no-good, dead beat of a dead father. That's right. Junior realises he has to figure out how to kill a dead man! And that fast, before the vampiric ghost -- who is becoming stronger day-by-day -- sucks the life out of his sons for his own benefit. (Unique gender switch!)
That's a powerful statement about dads who destroy their children's lives to further their egotistical pipe dreams which are painfully felt, but have little chance of ever becoming reality.
Junior's age and the intelligence he shows in dealing with this longed-for menace is perfectly chosen. At no other time would Junior have been able to demonstrate the right amount of love, ambivalence and hate than at 12, nor to have taken the actions he does.
Up to the point where Jones has Junior say "and this is where all Indian stories would end" this novella was a 5-star read for me. But Jones doesn't want to end at the point where the story does indeed naturally end (too normal, I guess) and so he tacks on an 'extra' about Junior in later years.
Unfortunately, this quick jog through later events introduces huge aspects and casts multiple new layers onto the main story that come way too late and lopsides the whole thing. Rather like someone starting a heated political discussion just as everyone at the table is finishing up their dinner and getting ready to leave.
Mapping the Interior is an utterly convincing Own Voices novella cram packed with important topics and insights about everything from responsible dog ownership to Native American historical trauma. It's also a very creepy and violent paranormal story.
If Jones had not tacked on that end bit, it would have been a full 5 stars. As is: 4.
short review for busy readers: a supernatural novella about a 12-year old Native American boy who believes he's seeing his dead father roaming the house at night. Expertly written and conveyed. Some truly frightening, movie-worthy scenes. Realistic about how many Native American families live, their traumas and desires. Authentic use of Native American speech patterns, which may be slightly confusing/irritating to general readers.
in detail:
I read one of Jones' obscure novels, Not for Nothing, in the early part of this year and loved it. The style is unusual and the narrative often puzzling, making it much less accessible than his popular works, but still a great read.
Mapping the Interior is in a similar style. Written with high linguistic authenticity and in total control of his subject matter, Jones gives us a 12-year old boy who sometimes speaks in sentence splices, which might take some getting used to.
What he’s doing, it’s pretending. What he’s doing, it’s waiting.
A typical trope in Native American literature to show that supernatural things are happening is for time to slow down. The character feels as if they are in a dream-like, or trance, existence. This happens here, blurring the lines between the emotions of a boy terribly missing his father and replacing that father in reality as 'the man of the house' at the same time.
One of the many points touched on in this intense work was the subject of patricide.
Generally speaking, psychologists say that boys must metaphorically "kill" their mothers to grow from being a child into being a man. It's a necessary psychological process that leads to the (temporary) disregarding/ rejection of the mother or making her into a joke or a monster that must either be utterly ignored or vanquished.
(Some classics of literature deal with this process, such as Lord of the Flies, as well as popular ones, like Crichton's Viking adventure, The 13th Warrior. )
Here, it's not the mother who has to be killed off for Junior to grow into his own man, but his drunken, no-good, dead beat of a dead father. That's right. Junior realises he has to figure out how to kill a dead man! And that fast, before the vampiric ghost -- who is becoming stronger day-by-day -- sucks the life out of his sons for his own benefit. (Unique gender switch!)
That's a powerful statement about dads who destroy their children's lives to further their egotistical pipe dreams which are painfully felt, but have little chance of ever becoming reality.
Junior's age and the intelligence he shows in dealing with this longed-for menace is perfectly chosen. At no other time would Junior have been able to demonstrate the right amount of love, ambivalence and hate than at 12, nor to have taken the actions he does.
Up to the point where Jones has Junior say "and this is where all Indian stories would end" this novella was a 5-star read for me. But Jones doesn't want to end at the point where the story does indeed naturally end (too normal, I guess) and so he tacks on an 'extra' about Junior in later years.
Unfortunately, this quick jog through later events introduces huge aspects and casts multiple new layers onto the main story that come way too late and lopsides the whole thing. Rather like someone starting a heated political discussion just as everyone at the table is finishing up their dinner and getting ready to leave.
Mapping the Interior is an utterly convincing Own Voices novella cram packed with important topics and insights about everything from responsible dog ownership to Native American historical trauma. It's also a very creepy and violent paranormal story.
If Jones had not tacked on that end bit, it would have been a full 5 stars. As is: 4.
May 17, 2025
This was such an interesting read. A short novella that was a slow burn with such intricate details on death, dying and a young boy losing his father.
It was centered around a 12 year old boy who was trying to make sense of his father’s passing and the eerie and supernatural things that were taking place around him. It took an in depth look at what grieving, resentment and coming to terms with what death mean…but in a horror sort of way. My fav.
It was a uniquely laid out story that touches on Native American culture and a dark side to what could happen to the soul when we die.
I only took off a star for some inconsistencies but will definitely be trying another book of his. Highly recommend if you like one-sit reads with mind-bending , dark and gritty feels!
It was centered around a 12 year old boy who was trying to make sense of his father’s passing and the eerie and supernatural things that were taking place around him. It took an in depth look at what grieving, resentment and coming to terms with what death mean…but in a horror sort of way. My fav.
It was a uniquely laid out story that touches on Native American culture and a dark side to what could happen to the soul when we die.
I only took off a star for some inconsistencies but will definitely be trying another book of his. Highly recommend if you like one-sit reads with mind-bending , dark and gritty feels!
November 23, 2024
2⭐️s
Holy superfluous commas Batman. This writing style was maddeningly difficult for me to consume. I appreciate the story that was being conveyed, but this needs aggressive editing. It might need Jesus. This was my second attempt at a Stephen Graham Jones book, and it will definitely be my last. His writing style is so exasperatingly grating to me, and I found it impossible to pay attention to the story.
Why You Should Or Shouldn’t Read It
I’ll refrain from an opinion here. Either his writing style is or isn’t for you, and the answer to that entirely determines the answer to this question
One Lesson I Learned
The power of prose, and simplifying structure. And editing. Do more editing.
One Thing That Will Stick With Me
The ghost walking across the kitchen doorway thing is scary. I’ll give it that
Holy superfluous commas Batman. This writing style was maddeningly difficult for me to consume. I appreciate the story that was being conveyed, but this needs aggressive editing. It might need Jesus. This was my second attempt at a Stephen Graham Jones book, and it will definitely be my last. His writing style is so exasperatingly grating to me, and I found it impossible to pay attention to the story.
Why You Should Or Shouldn’t Read It
I’ll refrain from an opinion here. Either his writing style is or isn’t for you, and the answer to that entirely determines the answer to this question
One Lesson I Learned
The power of prose, and simplifying structure. And editing. Do more editing.
One Thing That Will Stick With Me
The ghost walking across the kitchen doorway thing is scary. I’ll give it that
December 17, 2019
This is my first experience with Stephen Graham Jones, and I’m really sort of sorry for it. I wish I had started reading his work sooner. Mapping the Interior is a story about a boy who is being haunted by the ghost of his father. It’s a quick story, and the plot really is that straightforward. It can be read in just a couple hours.
The prose is easy to read but also had a really strong sense of voice, which I loved. It held a rhythm and cadence that felt unique to Jones. This is a horror story, and it’s a slow burn, at least as far as a novella can be slow. At first, the ghost just seems like a benevolent spirit, watching over his sons, but after a dangerous encounter with the neighbor’s dogs, we know that’s not quite what’s happening. (Content Warnings: violence against animals.)
The ending snuck up on me, and I wasn’t at all prepared for it. It’s disturbing, not necessarily scary. There are a couple flashes of horror between the beginning and the end, but it wasn’t anything that felt so horrific I couldn’t hand it off to a friend to read. But then the ending came and I had to put the book down, and stop, and digest, and think about it, and think about it some more. My initial reaction was that I didn’t like the ending at all. It was a little ambiguous. It makes you think twice about our heroic protagonist. It seems to renege on the initial conclusions we’ve drawn.
If you’re wondering why I was raving about Jones all last week, it’s because this book stuck with me long after I had set it down. It may be with me for awhile yet. I’ve been putting off this review because I’m still not 100% sure how I felt about it.
If I had one critique, it’s that Mapping the Interior often felt literary: metaphorical and symbolic and allegorical. But I was never quite able to grasp the meaning or the message behind it all.
The prose is easy to read but also had a really strong sense of voice, which I loved. It held a rhythm and cadence that felt unique to Jones. This is a horror story, and it’s a slow burn, at least as far as a novella can be slow. At first, the ghost just seems like a benevolent spirit, watching over his sons, but after a dangerous encounter with the neighbor’s dogs, we know that’s not quite what’s happening. (Content Warnings: violence against animals.)
The ending snuck up on me, and I wasn’t at all prepared for it. It’s disturbing, not necessarily scary. There are a couple flashes of horror between the beginning and the end, but it wasn’t anything that felt so horrific I couldn’t hand it off to a friend to read. But then the ending came and I had to put the book down, and stop, and digest, and think about it, and think about it some more. My initial reaction was that I didn’t like the ending at all. It was a little ambiguous. It makes you think twice about our heroic protagonist. It seems to renege on the initial conclusions we’ve drawn.
If you’re wondering why I was raving about Jones all last week, it’s because this book stuck with me long after I had set it down. It may be with me for awhile yet. I’ve been putting off this review because I’m still not 100% sure how I felt about it.
If I had one critique, it’s that Mapping the Interior often felt literary: metaphorical and symbolic and allegorical. But I was never quite able to grasp the meaning or the message behind it all.
April 15, 2022
Haunting, heart-breaking and disturbing, Mapping the Interior is a searing literary horror novella about generational trauma and identity. Our main character is an indigenous boy who is 12 the first time he sees his dead father. He is living with his mom and mentally disabled brother as they fight to survive the violence that invades their lives.
This subverts the “Indian burial ground” trope in interesting ways and explores how we cope with trauma as children only to eventually pass it on. It offers glimpses of how the characters wish they could reclaim their Native heritage, and the challenges that stand in their way. The arc of the story is ultimately a tragic one, leaving the reader and the characters wishing for what might have been. For a story that’s just under 100 pages there is a lot here that could be dissected and discussed. Excellent.
This subverts the “Indian burial ground” trope in interesting ways and explores how we cope with trauma as children only to eventually pass it on. It offers glimpses of how the characters wish they could reclaim their Native heritage, and the challenges that stand in their way. The arc of the story is ultimately a tragic one, leaving the reader and the characters wishing for what might have been. For a story that’s just under 100 pages there is a lot here that could be dissected and discussed. Excellent.
July 1, 2022
Amazing! Such a powerful story and so unique. That’s my favorite thing about Stephen Graham Jones’s books: they’re all incredibly special. Guaranteed you’d never read anything like this before. And he’s so consistent in his ability to churn out good writing, strong characters, and a solid story. This one was not as ‘horror’ focused as other ones I’ve read from him, so if you’re looking for a harrowing story about generational trauma and dealing with a parent passing away when your young, this one does it beautifully.
January 28, 2023
What did I just read?
I was in the mood for something short (current read is 1500 pages) and I saw Merphy Napier recommend this novella. I read it last night and I am not sure if I was too tired but this was just so odd. The premise is great but the plot structure and prose made this a very confusing read.
Based on my enjoyment then I can't give this more than 2 stars. However, I can see myself enjoying it much more on a reread since it seems like one of those books which gets richer on each read.
I was in the mood for something short (current read is 1500 pages) and I saw Merphy Napier recommend this novella. I read it last night and I am not sure if I was too tired but this was just so odd. The premise is great but the plot structure and prose made this a very confusing read.
Based on my enjoyment then I can't give this more than 2 stars. However, I can see myself enjoying it much more on a reread since it seems like one of those books which gets richer on each read.
May 15, 2025
After reading My Heart Is a Chainsaw, I wasn't sure if Graham Jones was going to be the author for me, so I started this one not really expecting much in the way of enjoyment, I ended up being pleasantly surprised.
The pacing was pretty good and there was a great balance between the action and introspection. This is a ghost story but also definitely not a ghost story, and I was so here for it. The ending was everything tho.
more of a 4.25 than a true 4.
The pacing was pretty good and there was a great balance between the action and introspection. This is a ghost story but also definitely not a ghost story, and I was so here for it. The ending was everything tho.
more of a 4.25 than a true 4.
October 2, 2017
While I did enjoy this short story, I must admit that I'm sure that about 75% of the meaning behind it escaped me. But despite not understanding all the nuances of it, I'm still glad that I read it.
It was definitely creepy and gave me chills from head to toe in certain parts. The author is excellent at drawing you in and making you feel the terror that the main character is feeling.
I also really enjoyed the fact that it was based on Native American culture and myth, it's something I've very rarely come across in other books and so this was a real treat in that aspect.
It was definitely creepy and gave me chills from head to toe in certain parts. The author is excellent at drawing you in and making you feel the terror that the main character is feeling.
I also really enjoyed the fact that it was based on Native American culture and myth, it's something I've very rarely come across in other books and so this was a real treat in that aspect.
October 4, 2020
Real Rating: 4.75* of five
Is this the real life? Or is it just fantasy? (Thank you, Queen, for the eternal ear-worm.) If this is just fantasy, be damned good and grateful you're not able to escape from reality.
A twelve year old isn't exactly a kid, isn't a teen yet, can't quite be anything because nothing...literally no thing...is stable, permanent, fully itself in his head. And we all know that Reality is just a shared fantasy. At least, all of us whose lives have changed because impossible, fantastic, unreal things have happened to us.
Make no mistake, this story will not leave you unchanged. It might, if you're a particular kind of person, leave you alone with memories you didn't much want to believe were still there. It could, for a different kind of person, be terrifying and strange to mentally see a dead person walking through a room.
You won't know which you are until you read these hundred-plus pages. Which you need to do.
Still here? Go get this story! Scoot!
(But, no matter what, don't do this:
Is this the real life? Or is it just fantasy? (Thank you, Queen, for the eternal ear-worm.) If this is just fantasy, be damned good and grateful you're not able to escape from reality.
To sleepwalk is to be inhabited, yes, but not by something else, so much. What you’re inhabited by, what’s kicking one foot in front of the other, it’s yourself. It doesn’t make sense, but I don’t think it’s under any real compulsion to, finally. If anything, being inhabited by yourself like that, what it tells you is that there’s a real you squirming down inside you, trying all through the day to pull up to the surface, look out. But it can only get that done when your defenses are down. When you’re sleeping.
A twelve year old isn't exactly a kid, isn't a teen yet, can't quite be anything because nothing...literally no thing...is stable, permanent, fully itself in his head. And we all know that Reality is just a shared fantasy. At least, all of us whose lives have changed because impossible, fantastic, unreal things have happened to us.
I figured that’s maybe what had happened to me the night before—my feet had been asleep but I’d walked on them anyway, into some other . . . not plane, I don’t think, but like a shade over, or deeper, or shallower, where I could see more than I could otherwise.
–and–
There was a line of glare in the dead television screen from the lamp and I watched it, blinking as little possible, because as soon as that line of light broke, that was going to mean something had passed between me and it. And, if it came from the right, that meant Dad was done with fixing Dino. And if it came from the left, that meant he was just getting started.
Make no mistake, this story will not leave you unchanged. It might, if you're a particular kind of person, leave you alone with memories you didn't much want to believe were still there. It could, for a different kind of person, be terrifying and strange to mentally see a dead person walking through a room.
Was that I was supposed to do, to save me and Mom? Leave Dino like an offering? Trade him for both of us? None of the cops on my shows would ever do that. Even for the worst criminal. Because of justice. Because of what’s right.
–and–
...he was looking across the room like an animal, right into my soul. His eyes shone, not with light but with a kind of wet darkness. The mouth too—no, the lips. And curling up from them was smoke.
You won't know which you are until you read these hundred-plus pages. Which you need to do.
Because—I had to say it, just to myself—because he’d been feeding on Dino, I was pretty sure. The wet lips. The empty eyes. Dino’s seizures had started before I’d seen Dad walking across the living room, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t been making that trip for three or four weeks already, then, did it?
Still here? Go get this story! Scoot!
(But, no matter what, don't do this:
I’d never smoked—you need your lungs if you dance—but after that night, I kind of understood why Mom always had. It makes you feel like you have some control. You know it’s bad for you, but you’re doing it on purpose, too. You’re breathing that in of your own volition, because you want to.)
When you don’t have control of anything else, when a car can just go cartwheeling off into the horizon, then to even have just a little bit of control, it can feel good. Especially if you hold that smoke in for a long time, only let it out bit by bit.
June 20, 2017
This elegiac but dragging new novella by Stephen Graham Jones features a haunting in the way that I believe it would actually occur. Not with translucent, floating apparitions banging on walls, levitating over you while you sleep, or chasing you down the halls of your house, but a haunting by something much more personal, quiet, and understated the way it is here.
Jones uses weaves together elements of horror, superstition, family conflict, and Native American culture and lore to tell a coming of age story about a young boy searching for ways to connect with his dead father, who has begun to visit him and his brother late at night. In many horror books, the haunting is an external thing, a disturbance that our main character has to overcome. But here, I believe that the haunting is more interior, more a product of Junior's insecurities, fears, and desire for memories and closure than anything else. And to overcome it he has to overcome something within himself.
I do feel like it could've been a little more efficient in it's storytelling though. It feels extra-wordy and bloated and dulled the experience a bit. It would've been much more memorable if it was focused a bit more in the delivery.
Big ups to Netgalley and Tor Books for the Advance Reader Copy in exchange for this honest review.
Jones uses weaves together elements of horror, superstition, family conflict, and Native American culture and lore to tell a coming of age story about a young boy searching for ways to connect with his dead father, who has begun to visit him and his brother late at night. In many horror books, the haunting is an external thing, a disturbance that our main character has to overcome. But here, I believe that the haunting is more interior, more a product of Junior's insecurities, fears, and desire for memories and closure than anything else. And to overcome it he has to overcome something within himself.
I do feel like it could've been a little more efficient in it's storytelling though. It feels extra-wordy and bloated and dulled the experience a bit. It would've been much more memorable if it was focused a bit more in the delivery.
Big ups to Netgalley and Tor Books for the Advance Reader Copy in exchange for this honest review.
February 18, 2020
I have no idea what happened in this book. I was completely lost from page 1. To be fair, I'm sick and a little groggy, so maybe it's just me. Either way I hated this book.
July 11, 2022
I was twelve the first time I saw my dead father cross from the kitchen doorway to the hall that led back to the utility room.
I've reached a point in my life where I buy print copies of SGJ titles whenever possible, because I already know ahead of time that I'm going to highlight the hell out of it, just as I did with this one. Half of my copy of this little story is highlighted because there's something about this author's writing that mesmerizes me from the very first page and doesn't let go, and Mapping the Interior was no exception.
Mapping the Interior isn't your average ghost story: in this, we follow a teen boy who's seeing his late father's ghost, but the spirit's motives are unclear at first. Is he visiting to watch his boys grow up? Is he seeking out closure for unfinished business? Or is there something darker at play here?
This novella packs such a powerful punch, and in so few pages! It's an atmospheric, immensely eerie horror tale, but it's also a look at Native experiences, generational trauma, and the endless absences that grief creates. Junior and his younger brother Dino are impossible not to fall in love with, which created such a high-stakes, emotional reading experience for me.
There's something about SGJ's way as a natural storyteller that makes every story feel like sitting at a campfire, listening to the most incredulous tales, hanging on every word — and, as always, I walk away already eager for the next one.
✨ Representation: the narrator and his family are Native American
✨ Content warnings for:
———
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March 5, 2018
Stephen Graham Jones writes stories that connect to the heart of people. I'm not, in any way, similar to the protagonist here, and yet - he expresses something universal.
It's horror, and definitely horrifying, but it's through the lens of that horror that we see the world stripped down to the basic truths that unite us all: you protect your family, and sometimes that means from each other. There are lines that shouldn't be crossed - and everyone has something that will push them over that line.
Update: Stephen Graham Jones just won the Superior Achievement in Long Fiction from the Bram Stoker Awards, for this novel. Huge congratulations!
It's horror, and definitely horrifying, but it's through the lens of that horror that we see the world stripped down to the basic truths that unite us all: you protect your family, and sometimes that means from each other. There are lines that shouldn't be crossed - and everyone has something that will push them over that line.
Update: Stephen Graham Jones just won the Superior Achievement in Long Fiction from the Bram Stoker Awards, for this novel. Huge congratulations!
October 8, 2017
There is a blurb on the front cover from Paul Tremblay it says "Emotionally raw, disturbing, creepy, and brilliant. You will not be unmoved." In order to understand my 2.5 rating I have to break down this blurb.
Emotionally raw. Okay, the book is emotional. It's about a twelve year old boy who is convinced that his dead father has come back to life to fix things and be a family again. Junior our main character has a fierce love toward his mother and little brother. His brother Dino, is mentally handicapped in some way. We, the readers, know that he suffers from seizures and that he has a learning disability. We also know that the boys' mother is fully committed to her children and only want whats best for them. The family is full of sorrow, worry and fear at the beginning of this novella.
Disturbing. It's disturbing in the sense that the stereotypical characteristics of a Native American or Indian is the focal point of the story. There is domestic violence, child abuse, alcoholism and murder. Is this really what most Indians have to live with in their daily lives? Poverty, living pay check to pay check on the reservations, while the children get to expect a poor education and school fights?
Creepy. Well.... that is personal opinion. Is it creepy that Junior saw his dead father come back to life, roaming his new house? It is.... what I find more creepy is the way Junior felt it was his job to take care of his family at twelve. It was far creepier that he had to deal with very grown up things in a short amount of time. That no one cared that the neighbor disappeared. That no one cared that a grown up beat the crap out of a child. That no one cared that his little brother who had special needs was being picked on and bullied and abused by his fellow peers. That is what I found creepy, not the partial supernatural bits of this story.
Lastly brilliant. This may have been brilliant if it wasn't advertised as horror or scary. It would have been more brilliant if I would have known this was a contemporary novella with a bit of magical realism. It would have been brilliant if I read this book in a literature class and had someone well versed in Native American culture and family trauma to dissect and discuss the symbolism found in its pages. I don't understand the reason behind this story. I don't understand the point.
I am giving this story 2.5 stars because I just didn't get it.
Emotionally raw. Okay, the book is emotional. It's about a twelve year old boy who is convinced that his dead father has come back to life to fix things and be a family again. Junior our main character has a fierce love toward his mother and little brother. His brother Dino, is mentally handicapped in some way. We, the readers, know that he suffers from seizures and that he has a learning disability. We also know that the boys' mother is fully committed to her children and only want whats best for them. The family is full of sorrow, worry and fear at the beginning of this novella.
Disturbing. It's disturbing in the sense that the stereotypical characteristics of a Native American or Indian is the focal point of the story. There is domestic violence, child abuse, alcoholism and murder. Is this really what most Indians have to live with in their daily lives? Poverty, living pay check to pay check on the reservations, while the children get to expect a poor education and school fights?
Creepy. Well.... that is personal opinion. Is it creepy that Junior saw his dead father come back to life, roaming his new house? It is.... what I find more creepy is the way Junior felt it was his job to take care of his family at twelve. It was far creepier that he had to deal with very grown up things in a short amount of time. That no one cared that the neighbor disappeared. That no one cared that a grown up beat the crap out of a child. That no one cared that his little brother who had special needs was being picked on and bullied and abused by his fellow peers. That is what I found creepy, not the partial supernatural bits of this story.
Lastly brilliant. This may have been brilliant if it wasn't advertised as horror or scary. It would have been more brilliant if I would have known this was a contemporary novella with a bit of magical realism. It would have been brilliant if I read this book in a literature class and had someone well versed in Native American culture and family trauma to dissect and discuss the symbolism found in its pages. I don't understand the reason behind this story. I don't understand the point.
I am giving this story 2.5 stars because I just didn't get it.
January 14, 2025
ARC for review. To be published April 28, 2025.
2.5 stars, rounded up.
This book was previously published, in 2017, I believe, so this is a reissue, capitalizing on Jones’s new popularity I presume.
Following the death of his father twelve year old Junior, his mother and little brother, Dino, move from the reservation into an equally tough life in a small town off the reservation. His mom has to work hard and Dino has lots of problems. Then Junior’s dead dad makes an appearance in their home one night and only Junior sees him. Is his dad back?
I think this won a Bram Stoker award and it was OK, and it certainly shows Jones’s promise as a writer. There was a very scary scene but I thought a lot of it didn’t really go anywhere.
2.5 stars, rounded up.
This book was previously published, in 2017, I believe, so this is a reissue, capitalizing on Jones’s new popularity I presume.
Following the death of his father twelve year old Junior, his mother and little brother, Dino, move from the reservation into an equally tough life in a small town off the reservation. His mom has to work hard and Dino has lots of problems. Then Junior’s dead dad makes an appearance in their home one night and only Junior sees him. Is his dad back?
I think this won a Bram Stoker award and it was OK, and it certainly shows Jones’s promise as a writer. There was a very scary scene but I thought a lot of it didn’t really go anywhere.
June 24, 2020
The printed edition of this book has an exceptionally misleading back-cover blurb (which even begins with describing the narrator only as "a fifteen-year-old," instead the many-times stated twelve/thirteen year old he is, which very much threw off my grasp of the pacing) but luckily it's a strong enough story to beat the confusion and warrant a second reading at the very least.
Shiver-making and creeping and shadow-dark.
Also that ending is...
Shiver-making and creeping and shadow-dark.
Also that ending is...
July 7, 2022
FALSE ADVERTISING, who decided it was okay?
The blurb at the back of the book says that the main character "follows [the ghost of his father] and discovers that his house is bigger and deeper than he knew." THAT is why I bought this book. THAT is an exciting premise. But no. You're supposed to understand it metaphorically. So instead of meaning that you're getting a dark unsetlling exploration of impossible architecture that fucks your brain up nice and good, what they mean is that a boy is learning about his family history. For fuck's sake, the book is even called "mapping the interior"so of course I was expecting the house to matter! I wanted a "house of leaves" kind of story but condensed in a more impactful shorter format, and got a slightly freudian vampire story, with a lot of social commentary. This book is sold as horror, and I'm sorry but it really is a stretch. I get that horror is subjective but to me it really wasn't scary at all. It was social commentary under the pretense of fantasy. Which is not my thing. If it was, i would buy books that promise me that, instead of a book that calls itself creepy and horrifying on the cover.
And there is another problem: the style. let me quote a few phrases and you'll immediately see what I mean, let's open this bad book at any random page and it will definitely be there:
"The reason HE WAS only showing up now to help Dino,IT WAS THAT IT had taken him a long time to walk all the way down here." (p40)
"he WAS my dad, yeah. But he WAS also dead"(p41)
"What he said, what I heard, IT WAS look." (p42)
The rustle WASN'T the top cuffs of boots brushing into each other, and IT WASN'T a rattle being held deep in a hand to hush it. IT WAS a dog. (p42)
"The reason IT WAS just standing there, IT WAS THAT IT WAS probably questioning what it had done to deserve a gift like this."(p42)
We all like the verb "to be" but you don't have to fit it in every sentence, or it will drive you readers insane. Frankly, I don't get the hype.
The blurb at the back of the book says that the main character "follows [the ghost of his father] and discovers that his house is bigger and deeper than he knew." THAT is why I bought this book. THAT is an exciting premise. But no. You're supposed to understand it metaphorically. So instead of meaning that you're getting a dark unsetlling exploration of impossible architecture that fucks your brain up nice and good, what they mean is that a boy is learning about his family history. For fuck's sake, the book is even called "mapping the interior"so of course I was expecting the house to matter! I wanted a "house of leaves" kind of story but condensed in a more impactful shorter format, and got a slightly freudian vampire story, with a lot of social commentary. This book is sold as horror, and I'm sorry but it really is a stretch. I get that horror is subjective but to me it really wasn't scary at all. It was social commentary under the pretense of fantasy. Which is not my thing. If it was, i would buy books that promise me that, instead of a book that calls itself creepy and horrifying on the cover.
And there is another problem: the style. let me quote a few phrases and you'll immediately see what I mean, let's open this bad book at any random page and it will definitely be there:
"The reason HE WAS only showing up now to help Dino,IT WAS THAT IT had taken him a long time to walk all the way down here." (p40)
"he WAS my dad, yeah. But he WAS also dead"(p41)
"What he said, what I heard, IT WAS look." (p42)
The rustle WASN'T the top cuffs of boots brushing into each other, and IT WASN'T a rattle being held deep in a hand to hush it. IT WAS a dog. (p42)
"The reason IT WAS just standing there, IT WAS THAT IT WAS probably questioning what it had done to deserve a gift like this."(p42)
We all like the verb "to be" but you don't have to fit it in every sentence, or it will drive you readers insane. Frankly, I don't get the hype.
Read
June 21, 2017This is a creepy Native American horror novella from one of the most inventive writers working today! A teenage boy wakes in the night to see his father going through a doorway. There’s a problem: his father is dead, having died under mysterious circumstances before his family left the reservation. Still, he follows him through the doorway, only to discover the house is much bigger than he thought. And if he goes the wrong way, he will find things that were better off hidden. Dun-dun-dunnnnnnnnn!
Backlist bump: After the People Lights Have Gone Off by Stephen Graham Jones
Tune in to our weekly podcast dedicated to all things new books, All The Books: http://bookriot.com/listen/shows/allt...
Backlist bump: After the People Lights Have Gone Off by Stephen Graham Jones
Tune in to our weekly podcast dedicated to all things new books, All The Books: http://bookriot.com/listen/shows/allt...
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