Lovecraft Country was an interesting book to ring the new year in with. For starters, it wasn’t the horror book that I thought it would be based on the first episode of the HBO show that I watched. There were no crazy monsters that went bump in the night (although there are definitely some horror scenes!), only a strange organization of Alchemists that somehow possessed magic powers.

As I read each section of Lovecraft Country, I had a hard time following the timeline of events. Where they meant to be short stories that were independent of each other? Connected only in that they were dealing with the same man? It wasn’t until the characters got together to discuss what had been happening to them that I realized the change in narration was designed to illustrate that these things were all happening more or less at the same time after the initial trip to Ardham.

Many of these stories are based around the concept of how getting what you want doesn’t always happen in the way you want it. Atticus begins our tale with a subtle desire to live in a Lovecraft novel and to find his father, who wanted to understand where his wife came from. Both of these desires were the catalyst for our story, so it’s interesting that they spend time ignoring what happened to them despite the clear meddling from Braithwhite. They want to be left alone from the legacy that was left them, which does eventually happen (although getting to that place is a process).

Letitia, one of my favorite characters, wants to leave her mark on this world and is determined to do so since the first page we’re introduced to her. When she comes into some money from a mysterious benefactor, it’s no surprise that it’s used to purchase an apartment building in a white neighborhood. A part of me was even left to wonder if Letitia would have been as interested in doing so if it didn’t also come with the label of “pioneer”. On the one hand, Letitia got what she wanted. On the other hand, she needed to stand her ground and navigate owning a haunted house. Letitia’s story is one of determination and grit, one that you want to succeed from the beginning.

Ruby’s story provides the most insight into how people of color were (and sometimes, unfortunately, still are) treated. You can’t help but feel angry for her as she loses her job because someone else stole a pair of earrings and intrigued when she’s able to try on a different face. Ruby wanted power over her life and Braithwhite gave it to her. This was one of the few relationships in the book were Braithwhite was being used as much as he was doing the using and the cost was “only” lying to those around her and believing Braithwhite when he told her that she was keeping Delilah alive.

Ruby’s story is about being self aware of yourself and your surroundings. It’s hard to recognize the privilege that comes with the color of your skin as you observe through Ruby’s eyes what it’s like to interact with a police officer as Hillary. How easy it is to manipulate the men and women around her because they believe that she can do no wrong as Hillary. Ruby wanted freedom and power over her own life, it broke my heart that in order to get those things she had to physically change who she was.

Ruff also takes us through a desire to begin to set things right (the ledger of owed back wages and interest), a desire to discover (the teleporter), and a desire to protect your family (the devil doll, and the trip to meet the Winthrop ghosts). Each of these desires demonstrates how you have to decide between what you want and what you need, all the while taking advantage of the experience (minus the devil doll story, poor Horace).

Lovecraft Country is brought to a cinematic end once each character shares their stories with each other and it becomes clear that Braithwhite is a problem. Perhaps the most poetic part of the tale, Braithwhite loses his powers to the people he manipulated and we are left to assume that he will spend his days trying to get back into an organization that will no longer take him due to the new color of his skin.

Knowing that the show has altered the story’s events, I haven’t decided if I’ll finish it. That being said, I’m glad I picked up Lovecraft Country and stuck it out to the end, it was a fun read.

The icy January winds have me daydreaming of warmer days, so for February’s book let’s step into the pages of The Henna Artist, which takes place in the city of Jaipur during the 1950s.

Escaping from an abusive marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone to the vibrant 1950s pink city of Jaipur. There she becomes the most highly requested henna artist—and confidante—to the wealthy women of the upper class. But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own…

Known for her original designs and sage advice, Lakshmi must tread carefully to avoid the jealous gossips who could ruin her reputation and her livelihood. As she pursues her dream of an independent life, she is startled one day when she is confronted by her husband, who has tracked her down these many years later with a high-spirited young girl in tow—a sister Lakshmi never knew she had. Suddenly the caution that she has carefully cultivated as protection is threatened. Still she perseveres, applying her talents and lifting up those that surround her as she does.