My Throat is an Open Grave by Tori Bovalino

This might annoy those of you from Appalachia, as it is one of the most portrayed regions of the US, but I have a massive crush on the area, its folklore, its music, and its breathtaking landscapes. So when I learn of a piece of media based around the region, my interests are always tickled. So when I heard that My Throat is an Open Grave by Tori Bovalino, who is already a writer who has found their way onto my must-read list, had a novel set in the region, then I knew I just had to push it to the top of my TBR pile.

Tori’s previous books, The Devil Makes Three and Not Good for Maidens, were both excellent reads. However, they were geared more towards the YA end of the horror spectrum, so when I discovered My Throat is an Open Grave was more of a mature read, I was instantly intrigued to see what Tori would bring to a mature-oriented novel.

Billed as “Labyrinth meets folk horror in this dark and romantic tale of a lost girl and the shadows that lurk in the forest,” I was both looking forward to this novel and a bit worried. Please forgive me, and I know this will upset at least 99% of you reading this review, but I was never a big fan of Labyrinth!!! I’m sorry, folks. I know I’m an odd one; don’t get me started on The Goonies or The Lost Boys. However, I love folk horror; having grown up on my deeply superstitious grandparents’ farm, folk horror has always been the beating heart of my love of the horror genre.

My Throat is an Open Grave is a perfect book to review during Women in Horror Month. This remarkable novel’s central themes are women not being good enough, that women must conform to patriarchal standards, and the hate and derision they face from weird, close-knit religious communities that put men’s interpretation of God’s will before everything else.

This is Leah’s story, and she is an exceptional, engaging protagonist. She is full of fire and will to push back against the small minds of her home town. She is an engaging and well-challenging character whose personality leaps off the page with some vibrant and lively dialogue. Her journey from being the frightened heroine who timidly enters the forest to search for her lost brother to a feisty young woman who sticks both middle fingers up at her community is believable and genuinely enthralling.

One of the strengths of My Throat is an Open Grave is the clever way Tori Bovalino plays with the expectation of who the real monsters are in the novel. Bovalino’s depictions of religious bigotry and the suffocation-intolerant way it tries to control those held within its grasp are shocking and, at times, deeply harrowing accounts. Bovalino never shies away from unsettling observations that put the lens directly over many of the horrors in the real world and tackle them with a precision that is exceptional and compelling. A strong sense of anger and sadness at the world highlights Bovalino’s powerful writing style.

Lord of the Wood’s domain is another highlight of this novel. Forget comparisons to Labyrinth; for this reviewer, the domain was more akin to Clive Barker’s Cabal, a world filled with creatures that we would think of as monsters, but in reality, they are just creatures looking for a home and place where they feel safe. It is in these sections of the novel that Tori Bovalino lets her imagination soar. Her depictions of this realm are stunning, and she uses magic within the book, particularly when focused on The Lord of the Wood and how power and deals are used, which is a refreshing and exciting take on making deals with “the Devil”.

My Throat is an Open Grave skillfully mixes intense social commentary, horrific scenes and a powerful look at a young woman’s place in the dark world, all against the backdrop of a remarkable and electrifying folk horror world.

My Throat is an Open Grave by Tori Bovalino

Labyrinth meets folk horror in this dark and romantic tale of a lost girl and the shadows that lurk in the forest.

Fall under the spell of the Lord of the Wood and uncover the dark past of a village that will go to any lengths to ensure its maidens stay good.

In the small town of Winston, Pennsylvania, they fear the Lord of the Wood almost as much as they fear God. According to legend, ghosts of the nearby forest steal unattended babies, leaving enigmatic tokens of wood and bone in their place. Leah Jones didn’t believe the legend, thinking it was just a way to scare the local kids―until her baby brother disappeared.

Filled with shame and the weight of the town’s judgment, Leah crosses the river into the Lord of the Wood’s domain to bring her brother back. But the devilish figure who has haunted Winston for generations isn’t what she expects. He tells her she can have her brother back… for a price.

It’s a bargain that will uncover secrets her hometown has tried to keep buried for decades. And what she unearths will have her questioning everything she’s been taught to fear.