Reading Journal 2024: The Bittlemores

Reading Journal 2024: The Bittlemores
Author: Jann Arden

If I can say right at the front, I’m not sure where the “comic” descriptive comes from in the books central synopsis. I didn’t find the humor anywhere. Yes, the book is dark, but darkly comic is a thing, and that’s not how I would describe this in tone or genre.

It does have the welcome touch of a gentle prose however. Given this is Arden’s debut, it has the flavor of a seasoned author, confidently tackling some unconventional elements without losing what is a very clear literary presence and identity. One such unconventional element is her decision to give the creatures thoughts and a voice. It comes out of nowhere, and is never really explained or fleshed out in terms of a larger world building exercise. It is just taken for granted. It works though precisely because of the ways the animal abuse and human abuse function in parallel fashion.

A confession: this book has two of the most unlikable characters I’ve encountered in a long while. It also has a very real personal trigger- animal abuse (yes, I know it says something about me that the animal abuse was a trigger while the human abuse was not). Both things were obstacles for me in really embracing this story. It was in fact Arden’s gentle spirit that helped me to enter in despite those obstacles. The book has a propulsive energy to it, fueled by the mystery. It’s not really a mystery to us as readers, rather it’s a mystery the characters need to solve for themselves. It’s a fun element in an otherwise dark story.

The story is also very much centered on the women in the story, giving the story a clear, feminine voice. Not in the sense of commentary, but simply as a matter of perspective. These are the characters we follow, and it shapes the narrative in a particular way.

In all honesty, even though I despised two of the central characters in the book (let’s call them villains), and even though I personally struggled with the animal abuse portions, there was enough here to demonstrate Arden’s strength as an author, and I would absolutely read more if she decides to write more. I think she especially has a gift for simple characterization, which is something I appreciated.