Burn Our Bodies Down
In Burn Our Bodies Down, Margot wants answers. Since she was born, it’s been just her and her mother. No answers to Margot’s questions about what came before. Just the two of them, stuck in their run-down apartment, struggling to get along.
But that’s not enough for Margot. She wants family. She wants a past. And she just found the key she needs to get it: a photograph, pointing her to a town called Phalene. When Margot gets there, it’s not what she bargained for. Margot’s mother left for a reason. Was it to hide her past or to protect Margot from what’s still there? The only thing Margot knows for sure is there’s poison in their family tree, and their roots are dug so deeply into Phalene that now that she’s there, she might never escape.
I wasn’t sure if it was possible to enjoy Rory Power’s second book as much as I did her first, but Burn proved me wrong. As a reader, it was impossible not to root for Margot as she travelled to Phalene to find her grandmother. I wanted her to find acceptance, love, and safety. Every twist and turn forced my heart in my throat as I worried about what would happen to Margot.
As the story became more and more horrific, I realized that the happy ending for Margot wasn’t gaining acceptance from her mother or finding a sense of belonging with other family members. Margot had to learn to forgive, let go, and move on from her family’s mistakes. She couldn’t fix her mother or grandmother, but she could at least move forward on her terms.
Margot’s relationship with her mother was so difficult to read. I just wanted her mother Josephine to show Margot the love she needed. Margot’s search for love drives her to run right into danger, uncovering family secrets left buried in tainted ground. Josephine passed her trauma down to her child and forced Margot to bear a load she shouldn’t have had to. Lots of children today have to deal with that; I imagine Margot will resonate profoundly with them.
As much as Burn was a book about mothers and daughters, this was also a terrifying book. Creepy cornfields, zombie apricots, and regenerating bodies – I’m glad I read this with the lights on! Power did an excellent job mixing horror elements among the complex relationships in Burn.
Burn Our Bodies Down is a twisty thriller readers will devour.
Burn Our Bodies Down Rating: ★★★★★
But that’s not enough for Margot. She wants family. She wants a past. And she just found the key she needs to get it: a photograph, pointing her to a town called Phalene. When Margot gets there, it’s not what she bargained for. Margot’s mother left for a reason. Was it to hide her past or to protect Margot from what’s still there? The only thing Margot knows for sure is there’s poison in their family tree, and their roots are dug so deeply into Phalene that now that she’s there, she might never escape.
I wasn’t sure if it was possible to enjoy Rory Power’s second book as much as I did her first, but Burn proved me wrong. As a reader, it was impossible not to root for Margot as she travelled to Phalene to find her grandmother. I wanted her to find acceptance, love, and safety. Every twist and turn forced my heart in my throat as I worried about what would happen to Margot.
As the story became more and more horrific, I realized that the happy ending for Margot wasn’t gaining acceptance from her mother or finding a sense of belonging with other family members. Margot had to learn to forgive, let go, and move on from her family’s mistakes. She couldn’t fix her mother or grandmother, but she could at least move forward on her terms.
Margot’s relationship with her mother was so difficult to read. I just wanted her mother Josephine to show Margot the love she needed. Margot’s search for love drives her to run right into danger, uncovering family secrets left buried in tainted ground. Josephine passed her trauma down to her child and forced Margot to bear a load she shouldn’t have had to. Lots of children today have to deal with that; I imagine Margot will resonate profoundly with them.
As much as Burn was a book about mothers and daughters, this was also a terrifying book. Creepy cornfields, zombie apricots, and regenerating bodies – I’m glad I read this with the lights on! Power did an excellent job mixing horror elements among the complex relationships in Burn.
Burn Our Bodies Down is a twisty thriller readers will devour.
Burn Our Bodies Down Rating: ★★★★★