Cinderwich by Cherie Priest
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Decades ago, Kate Thrush’s Aunt Ellen mysteriously disappeared. Even though Kate is too young to even remember Aunt Ellen, she was actually named after her and Ellen has been the shadow looming over her entire life.
As a young adult, Kate befriended Ellen’s long-time girlfriend, a college professor, Dr. Judith Kane. Judith and Ellen were partners at the time of Aunt Ellen’s disappearance, and Judith has never truly been able to let go of that experience.
Eventually, Kate and Judith grew apart, so when Kate hears from Judith seemingly out of the blue, and Judith asks for her assistance, Kate is curious and takes her up on the offer.
Judith has continued searching for any evidence that may tell her what happened to Ellen all those years ago. She’s recently come across something she feels could be connected.
A story, really more of a local legend, regarding a woman’s body found years ago in a blackgum tree in the small town of Cinderwich, Tennessee. Children know the chant, Who put Ellen in the blackgum tree?
Many have traveled to Cinderwich over the years, trying to determine the identity of the body found in the tree. Some of these people were even searching for Ellen’s of their own, others were mere trauma tourists. Either way, the people of Cinderwich are used to strangers passing through and asking questions.
Kate and Judith make a plan, and meet up in the small town, checking into an eclectic local hotel. Immediately, they being digging into the town history, looking for answers. They’re ill-prepared for what they’ll ultimately encounter there.
I really enjoyed this highly-readable Horror novella. I was initially attracted to it because of the eerie cover and I have to say, the cover suits the story perfectly. It’s got a sweet Southern Gothic feel to it, heavy with mystery vibes.
Kate and Judith were such a fun pair. An odd couple of sorts, but I adored the dynamics of their relationship. It was a great premise as well; them meeting up in the small creepy town and looking into a decades old mystery.
The overall themes explored were well done and I found Priest’s writing to be fluid, as well as engaging. This was actually the first I have read from her, and I’m definitely looking forward to picking up more. I’ve had The Toll sitting on my shelves for way too long now.
I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook for this one and absolutely recommend that format if it’s available to you. We’re getting this story from Kate’s perspective and I felt that the narrator, Traci Odom’s, voice was perfect for Kate.
My only slight critique would be that I wish it could have been longer. I feel like that way frequently with novellas that I enjoy, mainly because I just don’t want them to end. For this one, I feel like it wrapped up rather quickly, I wouldn’t have minded more time to really dig into this conclusion.
Overall, I feel like this is a fast, compelling, creepy read, with great vibes and characters. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Southern Gothic stories, stories that feature small town vibes with creepy local lore, or unlikely friends investigating cold cases.
Thank you to the publisher, Dreamscape Media, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I can’t wait to read more from this author!