The Down River People Review (Adam Smith, Matthew Fox)

Shortly after his father dies, Myers is visited by his estranged mother who invites him to visit her mysterious swanky church down river - but what will he find there?

I like me some Southern Gothic, and there are parts of The Down River People that are creeptastic, but the story overall is really slow to get going and utterly baffling in its final act, to the point where it turns into an underwhelming mess.

It isn’t until literally the halfway point of the book that the story started becoming interesting. All that we see up until this point is Myers’ boring life: he has panic attacks, hates the south’s backwards drinking laws, and meets his long-lost ma. Half a book to tell that rubbish? That should’ve been cut down significantly so we could get to Cheston and Elsie’s weirdness quicker.

And I’ll try to keep this review spoiler free, not least because the surprise makes everything that happens in the river church all the more compelling. I’d be recommending this book too except for the ham-fisted way writer Adam Smith handles the final act. There’s the kind of artistic, impressionistic writing that allows for multiple interpretations of a story and then there’s the kind of writing that tries for that but, due to a lack of ability, as well as information, creates an incoherent and unsatisfying mush instead; unfortunately this is the latter.

There’s just too many questions that leave the reader hanging. Why people are doing what they’re doing, what it all means, how does Cheston do what he does - there shouldn’t be this many question marks, considering the nearly 100 pages that are wasted on the tedious first half that could’ve been used to provide at least some answers or hint at the point of the story.

Conversely, Matthew Fox’s art is beautiful and skilful, and Myers’ dream sequence was really something - haunting and imaginative. And, while confusing, the imagery of the final act was equally eye-catching.

There are parts of the story that are genuinely gripping, and the art is great, but the first half of the book is too dull and the ending much too garbled to recommend this one. In the hands of a better writer The Down River People could be good, but, as it is, it ain’t.