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A review by morganjanedavis
Katie by Michael McDowell
5.0
Philomela Drax was born into misfortune. Her mother was a dirt poor seamstress and Philo herself had no money and no prospects. When Philo and her mother Mary connect with Mary's father and learn he has a large fortune he'd like to pass down, things seem to be moving in a positive direction. Until the Slapes. Especially Katie. Katie Slape is evil incarnate, with supernatural prowess to boot. With one touch she can dig into the deepest crevices of minds, pulling out information that is most useful to her. If you have anything over $100 on you--run. Having preyed on Philo's family in order to steal their fortune, Philo is mortified that the Slapes and their devil girl will no doubt have her, too. Low on cash and loved ones, Philo must make her own way in order to recover her family's fortune and ensure that the Slapes are done away with, forever.
UGH. I MF LOVE MICHAEL McDOWELL. When going into Katie I was nervous that the book wouldn't be up to par with McDowell's other books. I fell in love with his novels through Southern Gothic works, and a story set in the Northern part of the US seemed so unlike his signature style. In these, families are tight-knit and bonds are strong, a characteristic forged out of necessity. Traditional family structure is shied away from in Katie but, themes of community and reliance on one another still shone through, for better (Philo, her gal pals, and the Maitlands) or for worse (the hodgepodge family that is the Slapes).
The realistic depictions of human nature exemplified make Katie feel like a period piece of non-fiction. All characters presented throughout Katie are ultra polarizing, which made the read that much more exciting. McDowell created such strong and nuanced characters: you want to befriend Philo while simultaneously doing a jig on Katie Slape's grave. Katie is titled after its antagonist but, the star of this novel is Philomela. Her story line was what tied every character together and her goodness radiated through them all.
Because of how ambiguous McDowell's conclusions can be, I was expecting that here. It wasn't and I loved that he did divulge the specifics of the character's fates because I was heavily invested in their story lines, the closure made it that much more sweet. This book has it all: gore, a killer child, NYC high life, LOVE (was not expecting this aspect but LIVED FOR IT. V MUCH MEANT TO BE), and the best closing sentence as related to the plot. Read it.
UGH. I MF LOVE MICHAEL McDOWELL. When going into Katie I was nervous that the book wouldn't be up to par with McDowell's other books. I fell in love with his novels through Southern Gothic works, and a story set in the Northern part of the US seemed so unlike his signature style. In these, families are tight-knit and bonds are strong, a characteristic forged out of necessity. Traditional family structure is shied away from in Katie but, themes of community and reliance on one another still shone through, for better (Philo, her gal pals, and the Maitlands) or for worse (the hodgepodge family that is the Slapes).
The realistic depictions of human nature exemplified make Katie feel like a period piece of non-fiction. All characters presented throughout Katie are ultra polarizing, which made the read that much more exciting. McDowell created such strong and nuanced characters: you want to befriend Philo while simultaneously doing a jig on Katie Slape's grave. Katie is titled after its antagonist but, the star of this novel is Philomela. Her story line was what tied every character together and her goodness radiated through them all.
Because of how ambiguous McDowell's conclusions can be, I was expecting that here. It wasn't and I loved that he did divulge the specifics of the character's fates because I was heavily invested in their story lines, the closure made it that much more sweet. This book has it all: gore, a killer child, NYC high life, LOVE (was not expecting this aspect but LIVED FOR IT. V MUCH MEANT TO BE), and the best closing sentence as related to the plot. Read it.