Michelle 's Reviews > Black Mouth

When Jamie Warren was 11 years old he experiences something so traumatizing that it follows him for years to come. The only solace he can find, if one can call it that, is at the bottom of a bottle.

Jamie grew up in Suttons Quay, West Virginia. A once vibrant town now desolate in the wake of a mine collapse. Jamie and his two best friends, Clay & Mia, live on the edge of the collapse and this place is now called Black Mouth by the local townsfolk. Being known as Black Mouth kids doesn't earn you many friends so these children grow extraordinarily attached to one another. There is also Dennis, Jamie's special needs brother, rounding out the group of misfits.

While strolling through the woods they come across a man living amongst the trees and he becomes known as The Magician. He offers to make them his apprentices by teaching them various magic tricks and they are so elated that they overlook how strange and bedraggled he is. His last and final trick he wants to show them is to promise them pure magic but it doesn't come without a high price to pay.

Moving on a decade later, Mia now a famous horror movie director, spots who she believes is the Magician in her travels. She can't believe her eyes so she takes a picture and decides it's time to wrangle the old crew back together to see if they can find and banish this sick bastard once and for all.

A new Malfi book always brings a smile to my face and this one is no exception. He writes characters that I grow to love because they are so well developed and nuanced. In this particular book the relationship between Jamie and his special needs brother, Dennis, was the highlight for me. I really adored Dennis and I was sick with worry in any scene he was in. His writing, as always, was impeccable. I could easily visualize all that was happening making me wonder when one of his books might get the big screen treatment. Netflix, you listening?

My only drawback to this book was that it was a bit longwinded. Some editing could have really tightened this up because the repetition definitely bogs down the pacing at times. The last few chapters went a little haywire and the epilogue a touch too long but the final conclusion itself was satisfying. 4 stars!

TW: Domestic abuse, animal abuse, bullying, suicide, alcoholism, and depression.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Titan Books for my complimentary copy.