** I received an ARC for an honest review **
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Description
It’s been four years in prison since Jade Daniels last saw her hometown of Proofrock, Idaho, the day she took the fall, protecting her friend Letha and her family from incrimination. Since then, her reputation, and the town, have changed dramatically. There’s a lot of unfinished business in Proofrock, from serial killer cultists to the rich trying to buy Western authenticity. But there’s one aspect of Proofrock no one wants to confront…until Jade comes back to town. The curse of the Lake Witch is waiting, and now is the time for the final stand.
Summary
The Angel of Indian Lake is the third and final instalment in the Indian Lake Trilogy, a supernatural horror from US author Stephen Graham Jones.
Review
In this last book, Graham Jones takes us full-throttle into the haunted and doomed town of Proofrock, Idaho. We return to Jade Daniels: teaching history at the local high school as her mentor Grady Holmes once did. This Jade Daniels is still fighting the terrors of a haunted mind, the brutal trauma of her youth and abuse and false imprisonment.
A new reckoning is beginning in Proofrock and in the middle of the it is the mysterious supernatural figure only children see: the Angel of Indian Lake.
In keeping with the trilogy, the full-horror mode of gore and violence is part of this narrative and a world seen through the lens of Slasher movies.
As with all of Graham Jones’s horror, there are many layers throughout with Graham Jones focusing on the effects of violent society where mass murders and trauma have inflicted deep wounds but goes deeper to the trauma suffered by First Nations communities.
The clever shift in narrative point of view to Jade’s perspective offers an unflinching view of her trauma and how Jade is always pulled back to the defenceless girl who abused by her father and ignored by the town. This is where Jade’s firm insistence on Slasher rules and the existence of final girls who never give up is key to her strength as a character.
When the darkness engulfs Proofrock in this last book, the supernatural and monstrous humanity meet. Thus is Jade’s reckoning and only she can understand the force behind the continued traumas visited upon Proofrock that turn its citizens against each other.
The Indian Lake Trilogy may outwardly appear a homage to Slasher horror, but in the multilayered narrative, Graham Jones highlights minorities, trauma, abuse, empathy and hope which is the true testimony of The Angel of Indian Lake.
Conclusion
A highly recommended read for fans of First Nations horror authors such as Graham Jones’s other works, Shane Hawk and Rebecca Roanhorse. A dark fiction novel incorporating indigenous sociopolitical issues and history, trauma and abuse and the subgenre of slasher horror. A beautifully written and engaging horror novel that is a quick-paced, action-packed read.
** This is my personal opinion and does not reflect any judging decisions **
Leanbh Pearson 