Early 19th century Blackfeet territory-a Lutheran pastor and his Reckoning, coming for him in the shape of a spectacled Pikuni.
A mysterious robed figure joins Arthur Beaucarne’s service, an anomaly in his congregation. With his second visit, the stranger introduces himself as Good Stab and the Blackfoot starts his confessions. His presence becomes a regular occurrence at the church, the confessions growing more twisted and incredible as his tale continues.
Despite being a devout believer in the supernatural, the existence of something as dark as the monsters in Good Stab’s story seems to be too far-fetched for the good pastor. Good Stab may make him a true believer yet.
The atmosphere of this novel is unrivalled by anything I have read so far. The choice of words differs for every character and tells a story of its own. The novel is split into a frame story set in present day Canada, as a descendant of Arthur Beaucarne’s works on a paper about her ancestor’s journal. The internal action consists of the pastor’s journal entries, alternating between his account of Good Stab’s visits and the Pikuni’s story/confession.
Everyone who’s first language isn’t English should have a dictionary at their disposal. If your first language is English, you also should keep one close. In the best way possible.
The characters are well fleshed out and the mystery that surrounds Good Stab stays with him until the last chapter. This book may be primarily marketed as a horror novel but the historical elements such as language or geography make it an impressive work of historical fiction as well.
10/10 read, so tempted to buy the audiobook for pronounciations and because of the use of oral storytelling.
Also getting the feeling Stephen Graham Jones may be a cat-man and not a dog-man (pun intended iykyk)
