Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power

Burn Our Bodies Down

by Rory Power
Published: Delacorte, 2020
Pages: 352
Genre: Thriller
Amazon, Goodreads

Keep a fire burning; a fire is what saves you. 

About the book

Ever since Margot was born, it’s been just her and her mother. No answers to Margot’s questions about what came before. No history to hold on to. No relative to speak of. Just the two of them, stuck in their run-down apartment, struggling to get along.

But that’s not enough for Margot. She wants family. She wants a past. And she just found the key she needs to get it: A photograph, pointing her to a town called Phalene. Pointing her home. Only, when Margot gets there, it’s not what she bargained for.

Margot’s mother left for a reason. But was it to hide her past? Or was it to protect Margot from what’s still there?

The only thing Margot knows for sure is there’s poison in their family tree, and their roots are dug so deeply into Phalene that now that she’s there, she might never escape.

But that’s not enough for Margot. She wants family. She wants a past. And she just found the key she needs to get it: A photograph, pointing her to a town called Phalene. Pointing her home. Only, when Margot gets there, it’s not what she bargained for.

Margot’s mother left for a reason. But was it to hide her past? Or was it to protect Margot from what’s still there?

The only thing Margot knows for sure is there’s poison in their family tree, and their roots are dug so deeply into Phalene that now that she’s there, she might never escape.

Review

This is going to be a hard review to write. I really wanted to love Burn Our Bodies Down as much as I love Wilder Girls. But… I didn’t.

The premise of the story centers around seventeen-year-old Margot, who lives with her emotionally abusing mother and knows virtually nothing about her past. Frustrated by her circumstances, Margot finds a link to her mother’s past: an old photograph with a phone number. Margot heads to Phalene to find out more on her family history but what she finds will shake her to the core.

My biggest issue with this story is the slow pacing. Don’t get me wrong, I like a good slow-burn novel. Yet, Burn Our Bodies Down started out strong but after Margot arrives at Phalene and uncovers Shock #1, the story dies down and the story gets very bizarre, even by my standards. I also felt like the writing was a little dull.

I do appreciate the vivid imagery that made me love Wilder Girls; the author does a great job of writing creepy shit. It just didn’t pull together right.

Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this novel but thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read the story before publication.

Trigger warnings: fire, emotional abuse by parent, unwanted pregnancy