Book Review: Curdle Creek By Yvonne Battle-Felton

 Wow.  What on earth did I just read? 

I picked up Curdle Creek on a whim.  I think I saw it as I was browsing through the library and decided it seemed like it would be for me. I liked that it was ostensibly about a creek- even though I could tell from the blurb that the creek was not really part of the plot. Water theme 2025, going strong- ish. 

 I will say this book really gave me a surprise, I felt like I knew what was going on, until I didn't and I found myself so very confused. So to say there is a plot twist is an understatement. There *is*  a PLOT TWIST. 

With (hopefully) no spoilers here is a quick overview.  Our main character Osira is a 45 year old widow living in a strict community where the rules must be followed or one might find themself turned out in a rather grim manner. Osira has always followed the traditions without much thought, and she's always had pretty good luck.  As her luck changes, she starts to question the validity of everything she's learned in this very small, closed community. She is thrown into a well as part of a ritualistic punishment, and finds she can jump realms, or "Well Walk" , thus escaping the community, only to join another at the other end of the Well. 

  Lots of themes up for discussion with Curdle Creek. Family relations, isolated communities (benefits and risks), the value of ritual, motherhood, belonging and home, and likely a few more. 

   What I found most interesting about this book was the roles that people play in each community.   Each new area Osira encounters is different, but they all have a (VERY CREEPY) slot to place a person in, in some cases going so far as to give the new-comer a new name, that is the same as the person he or she is replacing. I'm not sure about others, but many times in my life when entering into a new job/church/friend group I've found that some persons are often quick to try to assign a "role" allowing them to sort of decide who that person is and how they will participate and interact. As a bit of a "weird girl" this hasn't really worked out too well for me, and it doesn't work that well for Osira, though she tries hard to pretend that it is the best way for everything. I don't think that was the author's intent, but I think the story really helped me realize just how much people want things to be well defined and predictable - AND in turn how often, people do a lot to fit that assigned role so that things feel "easy" for those folks. At least in Curdle Creek, this kept the peace, but it kept it in such a way that no one really seemed to feel happy or relaxed or authentic in any way. No one trusts anyone, and no one seems to be capable of love. 

  Did I love this book?  Based on Vibes -NO, no I did not!  It was creepy, dark and foreboding and in each moment, I was feeling deeply concerned and distressed. The author was able to create all of those emotions with just some words on a page, so that's a lot of talent.  Uncomfortable talent, but talent none-the-less and honestly, very amazing. We are primed up for a happy ever after, I don't know that most of us are primed up for an absolute daily grind of horror that Curdle Creek delivers!  

That said, it was very well plotted and executed. As a reader, I was uncomfortable, I did think hard about the plot and how Osira's situation related to our modern situations. None of the characters are particularly loveable, and I did not find myself cheering for anyone at all, in fact, I had to take a break from the novel because I was just feeling all the sad feels.  (and Yes, I read a fluffy Cowboy Romance to help!) I suspect this was the aim of the author so - very successful. The ending was not to my liking because of course- it was entirely open ended, and that just... drives me bonkers, but for other readers this will likely open up avenues to speculate! 

The author herself is interesting - an American now living in the UK.  She's done a nice Ted talk you can view here. 

This book is a great one for "Summerween" or to save for actual spooky season. 

STATS

First Published : October 2024

Pages: 304

Available as an Audio Book : YES

Trigger Warnings: death, grief, bullying, racism, cult/religious trauma, paranoia. (not a complete list- be responsible!)