I am often drawn to stories that delve deep into the human experience. I thought that this novel about two sons reuniting in their childhood home with a less-than-kind father would be a good fit. Carlyle Morrow is a domineering man who happens to be quite ill and orders an immediate gathering of his family. What does Carlyle need from his mistreated sons as he nears the end of his life? Families can be so complicated. What are the emotions and dynamics possibly at play . . . Remorse? Forgiveness? Redemption? Healing?
I enjoyed that there was an interesting element of cultural folklore woven into the overall plot line. I’m still such a big fan of old-school legends and fairytales.
There is a constant building pressure, an echo of generational abuse, a pervasive sadness that lurks through each page of this book. I can’t say that it was exactly a feeling of suspense . . . more like the prose conjures a heavy weight of longing, hopelessness, and dread. I had a hard time connecting with the unnecessarily baroque narrative style or finding a reason to care about the fate of its characters . . . I found the pacing quite slow, repetitive, and meandering at times.
I’d like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of Sacrificial Animals for my unbiased evaluation. 2 stars
