Root and Bone by Jessica Raney was an entertaining read. I loved the setting and the way magic and creatures from folklore were interwoven into it, and most of all I enjoyed the voice. The narrative voice and the dialogue really made the 1950's Appalachian setting come to life.
Our protagonist, Leona has a lot on her plate. Due to the era, she's trapped in a loveless, abusive marriage to an unemployed drunkard who has no qualms with sabotaging her efforts to keep them afloat. Their young child has behavioural issues and is neglected while Leona is stuck working two jobs (and a magical side hustle) to support the family. Also Leona sees dead people.
Root and Bone dodges the usual trope of “I see Dead people and it’s so annoying!” with Leona. She doesn’t mind seeing dead people, if anything it makes her feel special and rather than try to ignore the spirits, she tries to help them pass on and find peace.
That is until one of Leona’s clients (love spells, charms, that sort of things) goes missing and Leona starts seeing a different type of ghost, one more interested in violence than peace. It seems a murderer with a dramatic flair for the occult has come to their small Appalachian town and with the sheriff well over his head, Leona and her sassy sister Jewel are the only ones equipped to deal with the supernatural threat endangering their town
I found the pacing of this to be comfortable. It’s a very dialogue heavy book. There isn’t much in the way of description or action beats. The characterisation is one dimensional, especially the male characters. Which is fine, this isn’t literary.
Root and Bone is the kind of book that would be perfect for a bingeworthy Netflix adaptation. It’s fun… which considering the decapitation and dark topics it covers might be a bit odd to say, but nevertheless it is. And best, despite its series potential it is a stand alone novel with a clear resolution.
