The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

I just looked up Stephen Graham Jones to see if this was his first novel and was shocked to read that he’s published twenty-two books (he’s not even 50 yet). What a great body of work to dive into!

Jones is a Blackfeet Native American, and this novel (apparently similarly to some of his others) mixes Native American culture, folklore and history with the horror genre. It’s a unique mix, and creates a kind of other-worldly creepiness. The narrative perspective hops from character to character throughout the novel, but the voice remains consistently compelling—a modern twist on teen angst, lived out by four Blackfeet who have broken from tradition and are haunted by it. But the real strength of this novel is in the genre-shifting plot, which makes a few unexpected moves that elicited genuine shock from me.

I think I have a recency bias with my reading—comparing books to other books I’ve read recently—but there is a fair connection to be made between The Only Good Indians and Fernanda Melchor’s novel Hurricane Season. Both deal with the schism between modern youth and the traditions of their respective cultures, overlay societal issues of poverty and violence, and blend folklore, realism and horror for a potent—and disturbing—effect. I’ve already pre-ordered Melchor’s next novel, set to be released in March of 2022. I’ll have to dig into some of Jones’s other books.