This review contains spoilers.
“He’d been led by the hand by grief, overwhelmed by the sadness he hadn’t been allowed to feel, the anguish he hadn’t been able to express.”
In the backwoods of Appalachia sits the Morrow family farmhouse. The Morrow’s are an interesting family, in that they like to kidnap young women, torture and murder them, then eat them for dinner. When these girls go missing, however, the Morrow’s are never bothered, for most people do not even know their house exists. Naturally, this works to the advantage of the Morrow family, allowing them to murder girl after girl with no one stopping them. Michael Morrow was adopted when he was only 4 years old, forcing him into this twisted lifestyle, leaving him to be the one that cleans up all the horrors his family commits. Over time, Michael begins to realize that maybe he doesn’t want to help his family anymore, and maybe he never really belonged with his “family” anyway.
Michael’s life is such a sad one. In stark contrast to his family, he does not find himself a willing participant of these horrific murders, moreover, any part he does take in the crimes is forced upon him and he has no choice in the matter. Michael is the one responsible for the clean-up, literally cleaning up any and all evidence that a murder ever took place. The book begins with Michael’s mother calling for him to catch the girl who is seemingly getting away. The reader runs alongside with Michael as he chases this girl down, tackles her, and drags her back to the farmhouse. As readers we feel his sorrow as he completes his task, and we feel just as complicit and we feel just as guilty. Michael hates what he is part of, and hopes one day that he might find some semblance of a normal life, one without murder and one outside of West Virginia. Any chance of normalcy is simply a broken dream for Michael because his family would never let their son leave, he is part of the family, after all.
Michael’s family is a cruel bunch, but no one’s cruelty really holds a candle to his brother, Rebel. Rebel is one to take Michael on joyrides, forcing him to steal alcohol from gas stations and run away before the cops arrive. Michael craves his brother’s love, for Micahel sees Rebel as his true brother, and naturally he does whatever Rebel demands. In addition to wanting to please Rebel, Michael takes Rebel’s threats of taking Michael out deep in the woods, leaving him to die very seriously. So, when Rebel tells Michael the two of them are driving into town, Michael has no choice but to join him. It is during these trips into town that Michael meets the beautiful Alice, whom Michael compares to a princess, looking like Snow White and someone he will never be good enough for because of who he is and where he comes from. Over time, Alice and Michael begin to warm up to one another, Rebel encouraging it the entire time, only for devastation to reach a whole new meaning as Rebel’s true intentions come to light.
Discussing this book without discussing how deeply the theme of shame runs throughout it would be doing this book and Alhborn a disservice. In addition to the great portrayal of abject poverty, Alhborn saturates the entire novel with this strong feeling of shame; shame Michael feels for being part of his family, for doing the things he has done, for not having a “normal” life, for being poor, for being what he has become, and I could go on. This is beneficial for the reader because we find ourselves sympathizing with Michael, seeing him as another victim of this horrible family. This sense of shame follows Michael wherever he goes, and it is especially present whenever he is around the girl from the record shop, Alice. Rebel is determined to set up Alice and Michael, so not only is there a pressure to impress Alice, there is also this pressure of making sure she finds out little to nothing about who Michael really is, moreover, who his family really is (sadly, in more ways than one). Michael’s shame dictates his every action when he’s around Alice, to the point where he’s afraid to speak to her in fear that he lets something slip about himself or his family. Because nothing is there to combat the shame, in fact, because his family is constantly reinforcing his sense of shame, Michael finds himself feeling guilty when he dreams of a different life, a normal one. This dream of a different life is one that makes Michael feel hopeful, but from that hope comes more guilt. The book states, “Some people get addicted to feeling bad because whenever they feel good they feel guilty.” This concept is represented in Michael’s complex range of emotions, for he goes back and forth between wanting to be part of the family, being ashamed of his family, feeling hopeful about a life beyond his current one, and then guilt for being ashamed of his family and wanting a new life. It is only when Michael begins to feel good does he begin to feel guilt. Ahlborn does a good job of making Michael, whose education level is rather low, so emotionally intelligent and complicated which in turn conveys a sense of depth to his character. Which, by far, makes him even more of an outcast amongst his family.
Closely aligned with his shame is Michael’s guilt for wanting to run away from his family and attempt to have a normal life. His family, especially Rebel and his mother, are constantly reminding him of the closeness and loyalty within a family, and that any direction that leads him moving away from his family is a direct betrayal to them. This toxic familial behavior has shaped Michael into being so subservient to his family due to the shame of who they are, the guilt associated with wanting to run away, and the strict indoctrination piloted primarily by his mother and Rebel. The family dynamics have shaped Michael into who he is, someone he is ashamed of being, while also making him feel guilty for being ashamed of himself and his family. Ahlborn creates so much complexity to Michael’s character that it makes him such an interesting figure because he not only feels shame because of who he is, he feels ashamed and guilty for being ashamed.
When discussing the shame and guilt Michael feels for being ashamed of his makeshift family, readers cannot ignore the venomous effect his “brother” Rebel has on him. Whenever Rebel wants something from Michael, he acts as if he and Michael are very close, like brothers, but whenever Michael does something Rebel does ot like, Rebel is quick to point out that he can make Michael simply disappear after a trip to the woods together. I find this relationship to be particularly interesting because of what fuels both of the characters in regards to their relationships with one another. For Michael, he wants to be accepted and loved by Rebel, moreover, seen as his actual brother. Whereas with Rebel, he hates Michael and has been plotting his downfall for several years. In addition to that, Rebel secretly blames Michael for their sister’s “disappearance”, for everyone knows that she was murdered by their parents. The juxtaposition between what each brother feels for the other furthers the complexity of each character. Michael, who so badly wants to be loved and accepted and have a normal life is vastly different from Rebel’s feelings towards him. Rebel’s blame and hatred he harbors for Michael helps fuel his plan that will ultimately lead to the downfall of the entire family.
Ahlborn’s ability to create such complex characters and a well-developed plot is not lost on readers while reading this book. This book is one to be consumed holistically, taking in all the pain and grief Ahlborn has to offer. Her portrayal of shame and guilt presented through Michael’s character is something so profound that it leaves the reader feeling so full from sympathy, wanting Michael to simply escape his fate and finally have his normal life. Through her characterization, the potency of the guilt and shame presented in this book, and her ability to make the readers feel something for the characters, Ahlborn has done something quite remarkable with this book.
