The Black Tongue
Ratings1
Average rating4
15
Ratings1
Average rating4
For generations, the urban legend of Granny Hatchet has plagued the quiet residential area of Suvikylä in northern Finland. As the story goes, this immortal killer murders her victims with a hatchet, then buries the hearts in a potato field and eats them after they've rotted black. But not everyone is convinced it is just a story. Maisa Riipinen has returned to her hometown to complete her dissertation on urban folklore at the same time that Samuel Autio has come home to arrange his father's funeral. As hazy, disturbing memories from their pasts meld with strange events in the present, Maisa and Samuel attempt to make sense of the town's fearful obsession with the mythical Granny Hatchet. But if it's only a legend, then why are people still vanishing without a trace? From Finnish author Marko Hautala comes The Black Tongue, a gripping novel about a terrifying story with the power to silence--and the power to make those who dare speak disappear.
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BLUF: This is a worthwhile read, but contains some odd (but infrequent) sexual content.
I was provided a copy of this book from netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review
Plot: The Black Tongue surrounds a neighborhood's urban legend. The story is intertwined around a few different individuals. We follow a young girl who is being introduced to the legend for the first time, an older woman who remembers the story from her childhood and decides to return to her hometown to write about the legend, and an older man (grew up with the woman) who returns to the neighborhood after the death of his father and reminisces on his childhood.
Pre-warning!: The first chapter is told from a teen's point of view and IS NOT reflective on how the book is written. Please, trudge through it – it's worth it.
Let's start with the good...: I can't tell you how good of a job the translator did against the original, but the story here flowed as if it was originally written in English, with the obvious exceptions of Finnish names. I didn't struggle to read through the translation at all.
It's interesting to see how everything ties together. At first, it really makes no sense on why we are following these different people, but it becomes much more complex as the story continues. I adore the story for this.
Another plus is that this book scared me. I'll admit, I am a wimp, but I haven't read a book that scared me in a while. This one did it. I slept with the light on for a couple nights.
...and then the bad: Awkward, awkward sexual moments. I'm not a fan of sexual moments anyways, but the ones in this book were exceptional strange.
Oh, and here is the stuff that doesn't matter, but I'm going to tell you about anyways: The translator changed a few names to be English, but not the majority. I can only assume it is because, at one point, the book refers to Samuel being named after the Bible. It would have made more sense to change all or change none, IMO.
