An Ordinary Violence by Adriana Chartrand (ARC Review)

Title: An Ordinary Violence
Author: Adriana Chartrand
Type: Fiction
Genre: Adult, Horror, CanLit
Publisher: House of Anansi Press
Published: October 31, 2023

A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by House of Anansi Press in exchange for an honest review.

Dawn hasn’t spoken to her brother, Cody, since he was sent to prison for a violent crime seven years ago. Now living in a shiny new Toronto condo, Dawn is haunted by uncanny occurrences, including cryptic messages from her dead mother, that have followed her most of her life. When the life Dawn thought she wanted implodes, she is forced to return to her childhood home and the prairie city that holds so much pain for her and her fractured family.

Cody is unexpectedly released from prison with a mysterious new friend by his side, who seems to be the charismatic leader of a dangerous supernatural network. Trying to uncover their plans, Dawn follows increasingly sinister leads until the lines between this world and the next, now and then, and right and wrong begin to blur and dissolve.

What unfolds is an eerie, incisive, and at times darkly funny horror novel about a young Indigenous woman reckoning with trauma and violence, loss and reclamation in an unsettling world where spirit realms entwine with the living ― and where it is humans who carry out the truly monstrous acts.

⤖ My Review ⬻

I stumbled upon An Ordinary Violence by chance while browsing the House of Anansi website. The cover caught my eye because of the use of dark colors and what I assumed to be a splatter of blood. Intrigued by its ominous combination, I delved into the synopsis.

There I discovered that An Ordinary Violence would feature an Indigenous woman as a main character, had a Canadian setting, and was described as an “eerie, incisive, and at times darkly funny” horror novel.”

Initially, I found the beginning to be a little slow, but I’m glad I kept going. A mystery was introduced which kept me reading—Adriana Chartrand masterfully builds suspense, gradually unveiling layers of darkness and intrigue that kept me on the edge of my seat.

As I continued, things became more and more eerie… I can’t say any more on that, though, without giving too much away. Suffice it to say, Chartrand expertly crafted an atmosphere of dread and uncertainty. I remember the last third of An Ordinary Violence most vividly, and I still get goosebumps thinking about it now, some months after reading it.