Sacrificial Animals
By Kailee Pedersen
Published by: Macmillan Publishers
Publication date: August 20, 2024
“Sacrificial Animals” is a tale that sells itself as a horror novel based in Chinese mythology. And, to a certain extent, it is. With those elements entering into the novel late in the game (about 80% through) that it’s hard for me to say that is what this novel is about.
The story focuses on the Morrow family: patriarch Carlyle, eldest son Joshua and younger son Nick. They live on an expansive property called Stag’s Crossing. Carlyle is an angry, bitter, racist man who, after losing his wife and unborn child, starts abusing his sons emotionally and physically. Joshua, the favorite son, gets less of this treatment than Nick.
Eventually, Joshua meets and falls in love with a Chinese-American woman named Emilia and is then disowned by his father, leaving Nick to withstand his father’s moods alone. Nick also eventually leaves Stag’s Crossing and Carlyle behind for several decades. On his supposed death bed, Carlyle seeks to reconcile with his sons, who reluctantly return.
That’s the basic plot of the novel. It thrives more as a family drama about abuse than it as a horror novel. It takes the term “slow burn” to a whole new level. However, if that’s what you’re looking for, then this will be right up your alley.
Adding to the slow burn element is the format. Chapter alternate between “then” and “now”. One chapter will tell events that happened in the past. Followed by the chapters that tell what is happening in the present. Sometimes, though, I found myself forgetting if I was “then” or “now”, which led to a slightly confusing reading experience.
The language of this book is beautiful. Pedersen has a talent for rich, vivid, poetic description. Language lovers will relish in every bit of it. And while I do love rich and vivid descriptions and occasional jaunts into poetic prose, I often found the language too flowery. I longed for some modern, up-to-date, concise langue and storytelling rather than something that languished in the words. It probably could have helped speed up the pace of the novel, as well.
Throughout the novel, mostly in the “then” chapters, there are references to foxes and things that Nick and Carlyle have done both to kits and full grown adults (killed them, trapped them, that sort of thing). It all seems very metaphorical for most of the novel and I found myself wondering it’s intent until I hit that final part of the novel.
I wanted to like Sacrificial Animals. I’ve been seeking out horror that is written in different perspectives. I’m interested in horror that reflects cultures other than the one I’m most familiar with. I also don’t shy away from family drama. There’s a lot of potential for fantastic character work and development in a story like this. Unfortunately, this novel wasn’t able to hit that mark for me.
That said, like with all things, someone else may have a very different experience. As I mentioned earlier, if you are someone who really loves to sit with beautiful prose, then this may be a perfect fit for you. Making this book a great book club choice to expand on the conversation.