Told from multiple points of view and set in Jacksonville, Florida, the story of Mormama spans literally more than a hundred years of messed up family drama.
For the most part, Mormama reads more like a mystery-slash-family history tale than it does a “ghost” story. Did I mention that one of the points of view is Mormama herself? That’s right. A significant part of this story comes to the reader via the semi-disjointed and occasionally repetitive thoughts of an angry Jacksonville “presence” hell bent on taking care of her unfinished business. Anyway, the writing is consistent in terms of style, though that may have been on purpose given that most of the point of characters are from the same crazy family line. So, it’s generation after generation of family members and their extremely dysfunctional lives.
For me, the book plays out like one of those 70s French art house films where things are kind of disjointed but linear enough to follow. It’s a tough read, and I think you need to be a fan of the author or a fan of this specific type of southern gothic to enjoy it.
It had lots and lots of potential for being extra creepy and scary. Alas, the story did not pay off as far as the supernatural buildup was concerned. In the end, it was more a frenetically narrated drama of unfolding past histories told from many points of view. And the ending? Just as vague as Mormama herself. Points for concept, but not so much for execution.
Mormama by Kit Reed
Publisher: Tor Books | Publication Date: May 30, 2017
Source: Finished copy received from the publisher (Thanks!)
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