Burntown by Jennifer McMahon Review!

The Book

Eva grew up watching her father, Miles, invent strange and wonderful things in the small workshop behind their house on the river that runs through their old mill town. But the most important invention of all was the one that Miles claimed came from the mind of Thomas Edison himself--a machine that allowed one to speak with loved ones long passed. Smuggled out of Edison's laboratory, the blueprints were passed down to Miles, and he's been using them to protect Eva, her mother, Lily, and her brother, Errol, ever since.

Then, one night when a storm is raging and the river is threatening to flood, the machine whirrs to life on its own. Danger, it says. You're in terrible danger. The next thing Eva knows is waking up on the side of the river and seeing her mother's grim face. Eva's father and brother are dead, their house has been washed away and an evil man is searching for them both. They need to hide.

Eva changes her name to Necco--a candy she always loved--and tries to put everything in her past behind her as she adapts to her new life off the grid. But when her boyfriend is murdered and her mother disappears, she knows that the past is starting to catch up to her.

What really happened the night of the flood? As Necco searches for the truth, her journey unites her with two women who are on desperate quests of their own. And as the trio follows the clues to solving the mystery of Necco's past, they discover that sometimes it's the smallest towns that hold the strangest secrets. 

Goodreads

The Author

I was born in 1968 and grew up in my grandmother’s house in suburban Connecticut, where I was convinced a ghost named Virgil lived in the attic. I wrote my first short story in third grade. I graduated with a BA from Goddard College in 1991 and then studied poetry for a year in the MFA in Writing Program at Vermont College. A poem turned into a story, which turned into a novel, and I decided to take some time to think about whether I wanted to write poetry or fiction. After bouncing around the country, I wound up back in Vermont, living in a cabin with no electricity, running water, or phone with my partner, Drea, while we built our own house. Over the years, I have been a house painter, farm worker, paste-up artist, Easter Bunny, pizza delivery person, homeless shelter staff member, and counselor for adults and kids with mental illness — I quit my last real job in 2000 to work on writing full time. In 2004, I gave birth to our daughter, Zella. These days, we’re living in an old Victorian in Montpelier, Vermont. Some neighbors think it looks like the Addams family house, which brings me immense pleasure.

https://jennifer-mcmahon.com/

The Review

Ten-year-old Miles wants to be Robin Hood.  He's playing in his backyard with a recent gift he received - a bow and arrow - while his mother suns herself nearby.  It all seems like a happy, typical Summer afternoon until a man walks up from out of the woods toward Mile's mother.  He leans over, whispers something in her ear, she looks up to smile at him and he slits her throat.  All the while wearing a chicken mask.

Years later, in a small mill town, Eva grows up watching her father create magical inventions in his small backyard shed.  His most famous and troublesome invention is based on plans he holds dearly.  Plans written by Thomas Edison.  Yes, the Thomas Edison, the lightbulb guy.  One of the most famous inventors of the modern world.

Eva's father is Miles, the now grown-up child that witnessed the brutal murder of his mother.

This machine, clunky and awkward and mysteriously unbelievable, can speak to the dead.  When Miles completes the build and Eva stumbles into the shed while it is running, she discovers the terrifying truth - that the machine is real.  

Tragedy strikes and the story becomes incredibly convoluted.  Storms rage the neighborhood and the nearby river floods, devastating everything in its path.  

Eva and her mother escape, but the death of Miles and Eva's brother, Errol, is the new reality that the women have to face.  They live on the streets and become involved with the infamous Fire Eaters.

The story gets more tangled from there and it's difficult to tell which way is up, what is truth and what is imaginary.  Unbelievable characters are introduced - a local school girl turned drug dealer, the cafeteria lady who believes herself to be part of a circus, Fred the strongman and local delivery guy, and a dangerous man known as Snake Eyes.

The story, while quite the page-turner, is difficult to follow at times.  Characters are introduced in a way that makes the story hard to follow at times, as the connections do not make sense until later in the novel.  Plot lines twist and turn, creating a definite page-turner, albeit a dark one.  

There is fantasy, romance, horror and a smidgen of comedy.  The book is a definite page turner, but not one of McMahon's best.  Burntown is a stunning blend of supernatural and thriller, but the ever-growing and complicated family tree is slightly maddening. 

Having read many of McMahon's books, there's one thing that can be said about this one - her ability to draw fear out of the reader is showcased incredibly in this novel.  A good read, but not her best.

Guest Review: By Kate Kelly

This review is completely voluntary.