Thank you to Knopf Books, #partner, for an advanced copy of On the Savage Side in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
Published: February 14, 2023
Summary:
Six women—mothers, daughters, sisters–gone missing. When the first is found floating dead in the river, it reveals the disturbing truth of a small Ohio town. Inspired by the unsolved murders of the Chillicothe Six, this harrowing and haunting novel tells the story of two sisters, both of whom could be the next victims, from the internationally-bestselling author of Betty.
Arcade and Daffodil are twin sisters born one minute apart. With their fiery red hair and thirst for an escape, they forge an unbreakable bond nurtured by both their grandmother’s stories and their imaginations. Together, they create a world where a patch of grass reveals an archaeologist’s dig, the smoke emerging from the local paper mill becomes the dust rising from wild horses galloping on the ground, and an abandoned 1950s convertible transforms into a time machine that can take them anywhere.
But the two sisters can’t escape the generational chaos that grips their family. Growing up in the shadow of the town, the sisters cling tight to one another. As an adult, Arcade wrestles with these memories of her life, just as a local woman is discovered drowned in the river. Soon, more bodies are found. While her friends disappear around her, Arcade is forced to reckon with the past while the killer circles ever closer. Arcade’s promise to keep herself and her sister safe becomes increasingly desperate while the powerful riptide of the savage side becomes more difficult to resist.
Drawing from the true story of women killed in her native Ohio, acclaimed novelist and poet Tiffany McDaniel has written a powerful literary testament and fearless elegy for missing women everywhere.
My thoughts:
A couple years ago, Tiffany McDaniel reached out to me asking if I would read her sophomore novel, Betty. I did and it’s a book that has stayed with me ever since I finished reading the last page. As soon as I heard she had another book coming out, I knew I had to read it…but I also knew it would not be an easy read and while that was certainly true, I found myself glued to the pages and know it is a story that will also be staying with me.
This book is dark…and when I say dark, I mean it may be one of the darkest books I’ve ever read and I read a lot of dark books. This is definitely not for everyone, but on the other hand, it is also one of the most beautifully written, compelling stories I’ve read in a while that deals with generational trauma, poverty, addiction and abuse. This literary thriller is loosely based on the true story of the Chillicothe murders, and in McDaniel’s hands we have one unsettling story about twin sisters who are brimming with potential, yet have the deck stacked against them through no fault of their own.
This book is hard to read but at the same time I could not take my eyes off the pages. I was drawn to the beautiful way that the author has of telling this story and the way I became so invested in Arc and Daffy’s lives. They are so vividly drawn that they felt like real people to me, despite knowing they are made up. The emotions this book evokes is unlike anything else I have read before. Never have I wanted to protect characters like I wanted to protect these girls we meet in this story, no matter what their circumstances were. Knowing that those that should have been protecting them couldn’t and those that could wouldn’t. It’s heartbreaking and infuriating at all the same time.
This was a much anticipated read for 2023, and as much as I knew it would break me, which it did, it absolutely lived up to every expectation I had for it and then some. This powerful, heartbreaking story is not to be missed. Tiffany McDaniel is a masterful storyteller and has become one of my favorite authors. I still need to read her debut novel, The Summer That Melted Everyone, which I will be getting ASAP, but if you have not added her books to your reading list yet, I highly recommend you do so.
