"I shouldn't have had to be strong. Not like that. I should have been able to break. Maybe one day all that strength can just be a gift my mother gave me, and not the tool I used to survive her. But I don't think it's today."
Margot only knows the family that is right in front of her. She lives a difficult life with her toxic mother in a run down apartment. Margot longs to know where she came from, and if there is a family out there that she belongs with that will wrap their arms around her in a way her mother has never been able to. She finds a picture of her mother in an old family Bible with a phone number and address. without much thought, she packs everything up and heads out to discover where she came from, but what she finds is not anything like she could have imagined.
You guys, Burn Our Bodies Down was a lot. That cute little description above does not speak to the unending weirdness and uncooked intensity of this story. I read a similar synopsis the publisher provided and requested a copy. What I was prepared for was complicated family dynamics and a theme of "to know where you're going you have to know where you came from." The things I prepared for were in the story, but not in the way I expected. From the first chapter my immediate thoughts were "oh, this is way more intense than I expected." I kept reading and at about the 15% mark, I felt something that I believe only gifted writers can produce. I felt dread. I read Burn Our Bodies Down with a clenched fist of dread in my stomach. There were little things here and there that might have hinted at what was to come, but when an author can create impending doom using few to no context clues you know that you are in the hands of an author that understands the way atmospheric writing is structured.
Reading Burn Our Bodies Down felt like the ascent to the tip-top of a rollercoaster. You know that pause when you realize you are at the top? That realization of "wow I can see everything from up here" and then the "Oh no, we're about to drop off!" The next thing you know your stomach is in your throat and you just have to grip the rails and close your eyes. That Was this book. It was uncomfortable. I didn't even know if I wanted to find out what was going on, I just wanted my stomach to come out of my throat for a second. I think it is important to note that the discomfort of this book did not let up after the final page. All day I have been staring around my house thinking about the conclusion of Burn Our Bodies Down and realizing slowly that the actual dread of this book is the way Margot gets the answers that she needs to move on, but those answers have left her worse off. I felt that all over. I got to the end and read the author's acknowledgments hoping to GOD Power's would tell readers how on earth Margot is supposed to live her life knowing what she knows now. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE MY LIFE KNOWING WHAT I KNOW NOW RORY POWER? TELL ME PLEASE BUT PLEASE DON'T WRITE A SEQUEL BECAUSE I CANNOT GO THROUGH THIS AGAIN.
This review might seem vague and that is because anything outside of the premise above is basically a spoiler. I don't want to spoil it for you, but also there are somethings you should know. This book is listed under the genre: Young Adult Mystery-Thriller and nope that is incorrect. I think because there is some graphic violence in here and because the ending is THE THINGS OF NIGHTMARES this should actually be listed under Young Adult Horror. Horror is not my jam. I don't read a lot of it because I do the brunt of my reading while either nursing a baby or tucked safely into my bed. I like sleeping at night and while I don't think this was too scary for me, I am glad I read the conclusion in the middle of the day surrounded by stuffed animals and my laughing children. If you decide to read this book let me know if you need a joyful child and a stuffed animal, I have plenty of both to loan out.
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Stars
Reviewer's note: This book was given to me by Random House Children's in exchange for an honest review.
You can find Burn Our Bodies Down on shelves July 7th
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