I originally had my wish granted by NetGalley and received this book as an eARC. I finally read it this October for the Spooktober read-a-thon and it has taken me some time to collect my thoughts on this book. It was released in July 2020 so please find yourself a copy because while I will give my review here, I think this is a book that will resonate quite differently with each reader and I encourage you to read it and see what you think about it.

The Only Good Indians is the first book that I’ve read by Stephen Graham Jones, but it definitely won’t be my last. He did a remarkable job of bringing the reader into the world of four Native American men struggling. For each of them it is different, and yet the same. They are each reminded of a disturbing event from their past that they never quite processed.

The beginning of the book is quite slow, but the more I think about it, I think that is what draws you in. You get a clear picture of how these men are treated off the reservation and how inter-cultural relationships challenge traditional ways.

How will their past come back to haunt them? Can the violence be brought to an end? It’s a clear story about vengeance and will make you reflect on your own thoughts and beliefs.

While I eventually have decided that I actually did enjoy this book, I encourage readers to not come to a snap decision and really mull over your thoughts at the end. Also, if you have problems reading about animal violence this book will not be for you. And that is perfectly ok. Not every book is meant for every reader.

If you’ve already read this book I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Thoughtful Reading 🙂