Book Review: On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel
Title: On the Savage Side
Author: Tiffany McDaniel
Release date: February 14th, 2023
Huge, huge thank you to Tiffany for sending me a digital copy of this one! That was very kind!
‘On the Savage Side’ is the third novel from acclaimed author, Tiffany McDaniel. I still haven’t read her debut ‘The Summer that Melted Everything’ but I did read her second novel ‘Betty’ and much like the rest of the reading world, was left completely stunned with how powerful that novel was. While ‘Betty’ was based on Tiffany’s mothers life, ‘On the Savage Side’ is based on the real life murders of six women in Ohio, where Tiffany is from. Going in, I knew that this one would feel gritty and be horrifically emotional, but even with that in mind, what I experienced was far more bleak than expected.
What I liked: The novel follows twin sisters, Arcade and Daffodil, who try to live a better than they were born into. We know from the very start that things don’t turn out so well, the opening monologue tells us that it is being delivered posthumously, and things don’t get much sunnier from that point on.
We follow these two as their life unfolds and Tiffany does such an amazing job of bringing them to life on the page. You feel like you know them in real life and that’s what makes everything that unfolds that much more difficult and impactful. As always, Tiffany’s next-level, sublime writing is on show, making you relish each sentence, even when many of them have you wiping away tears.
McDaniel sets each piece of nicely in this unravelling Chess match and while we have an idea of what’s to come, when it does, it’s far more draining to the soul because of how well Tiffany got us to that point.
As with each of her works so far, you experience this novel, you don’t just read it.
What I didn’t like: I was expecting something far more ‘true-crime’ in nature than what the story ultimately was, so if you’re going in thinking this is a straightforward murder-mystery novel, you’ll be in for a shock.
Why you should buy this: If you’ve read either (of both) of her previous novels and loved them, then this one is a no-brainer. If you’ve not read anything from Tiffany yet, this would be a very solid starting point. It has all of the high-water marks that Tiffany is known for, while also having a story that will pull you along, even when you wish you could wash it from your brain.
Outstanding work from one of the best authors out there.
5/5
