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Bacchanal by Veronica G Henry
Henry creates a complex fusion of dark fantasy and historical fiction. The strong debut book Bacchanal offers the reader excellent magical realism.
The travelling Bacchanal carnival visits Eliza Meeks’ village in 1930s America. Due to her peculiar affection with animals, Eliza, a young black lady alienated from her family, is noticed by carnival employees.
A series of vignettes gradually reveal more and more of the supernatural aspects of the carnival and its enigmatic master; Eliza isn’t the only one in Bacchanal with special abilities.
The owner poses the biggest threat since she has a bargain with a demon and utilises the carnival to further both the demon’s and her own objectives.
Henry packs the book full of interesting characters while deftly revealing their backstories without resorting to exposition-heavy backstories. As a result, tension is kept high during the long build to the climax and the subplots are able to gain momentum and give the main narrative room to breathe.
Henry has obviously done his research on both history and folklore. She is thus able to give the book’s supernatural components a sense of realism. As a result, the darkest parts of the book have a definite air of dread. It is also a welcome relief to watch non-European folklore and magic that is not sensationalised or denigrated.
Bacchanal revitalises the gloomy carnival/circus backdrop by fusing the fantastic with the everyday while adding just the right amount of dread.
The Review
Bacchanal
8.3 Score
This story is about Eliza Meeks who joins a carnival during the Depression Era in the US. Eliza's family left her years ago, she thinks it's because she hadn't learned to control her powers. There is a red carnival trailer that only a few people enter but most of the carnival people stay away from and don't discuss who or what is inside it.
PROS
- A Carney story, true to the 1930s!
- Started slow but well worth the read
- Darn good adventure story
- A priceless book!
CONS
- I Draw the line at Demons
- Well Executed Prose and Not Much More
- Hated the the protagonist, bored by the rest
- Honestly 0 stars. Bad writing
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