This novel! I wanted to cheer for our girls so badly but they broke my heart. Written lyrically but with grit about addiction and poverty cycles, On the Savage Side will break your heart - which I think we should be more broken by the murders and deaths of women regardless of societal factors that tell us their life is "valuable" like occupation education ethnicity or location. I compare my feelings about it to A Little Life, not a "good" experience but important and impactful. Many trauma warnings make me cautious in to whom I recommend this.

Thank you to Knopf for the review copy of On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel. There is bravery in writing, and publishing, work that acknowledges the intense pain, trauma, and harm that women experience and navigate and McDaniel's work does not hesitate to ask, and trust, the reader to handle tough topics. This is not an easy read and stays on course with allowing a challenging story to unfold without divergence to revenge or other pathways, the story is what it is and unfortunately does capture a real context and experiences that McDaniel intimately amplifies. Media stories can be sensationalized, we can become consumed by a single story perspective and not see the lives behind the names in the news, the life underlying addiction, trauma, and poverty experiences but novels like this give depth and meaning to the names in the news.



There are a lot of content warnings with this book but given the summary of the book none should be unexpected (abuse, sexualization, pregnancy loss, mental health).

This was beautifully written, but maybe just not the best subject matter for me. I was hoping for a small glimmer of hope but never found one. I know the author is intending to mirror reality, but I struggled to read tragedy and tragedy. I also felt like the timeline wasn't always clear. Regardless the characters were complex and likable despite their flaws. I think this story will stick with me for a long time and I look forward reading other works by the author.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I must admit, I had read Betty and knew I loved the raw, realism the author brings to her work. This one did not disappoint. My heart was broken at each turn but I remained hopeful for the lives of each young woman. Five ⭐️! Lots of trigger warnings but worth it if you are able to read.

Oooof. I don't think I've ever felt so much pain reading a book as I did while reading this one.
On The Savage Side is an absolutely beautifully written, heartbreaking book about family, addiction and neglect.
Telling the story of two twin sisters, while intertwined with a much bigger story at play about a group of girls who end up missing and murdered, I couldn't put this book down until I had read the last tear stained page.
I can't wait to read more from Tiffany McDaniel.
Please find attached my spoiler free youtube review.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A0XNMIjGEE&t=327s

Trigger Warnings: All of them? Sexual Assault, Miscarriage, Drug Abuse, Murder, Child Abuse

Arc and Daffy are twin sisters that have helped each other through every moment of their not so ideal childhood. Though they try their best, they can’t escape the cards life has handed them. When women start washing up in the river, the sisters are determined to not end up that way, but also to figure out who is killing their friends. Tiffany McDaniel based this story on women who were killed in her hometown of Ohio.

Holy shitballs. That is really the only thing to say when finishing this book. I for some reason had in my head that this was a female revenge book..spoiler alert, it was not. My mouth physically dropped several times while reading, and the people in the gym were probably wondering why I was gasping out loud on the treadmill. This book was so beautifully written, but damn it was a tough read. As you can see, this one needs all the trigger warnings, but it was so good. So if you want to read an amazing book that will also destroy you…here it is!

I'm going to be the outlier on this beautifully written but incredibly dark and grim novel that I ultimately put aside. McDaniel has created a world filled with atmosphere- atmosphere so dreadful that it must be real. Narrated primarily by Arc, twin to Daffy, after her death. it's very much about the women we ignore, women who are addicted, survive by selling themselves, and die with no one looking for answers. This moves around in time, making it a little difficult to follow in spots and there's a sense of that it's a fever dream of sorts. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. While I admire what McDaniel has done and advocate for her characters and the women they represent I found this just too much for me.

This book is so beautifully tragic. I know, sounds like a weird thing to say but it is. It’s because it’s beautifully written but also tragic.
The two girls always such full of hopes ans dreams but their reality was so terrible. It can be hard to read but I think the author’s point was to have you feel and boy do you feel. My heart will continue to ache for these girls.

This book has multiple points of view; both past and present.
It’s mentions sex working, drug use and sexual abuse. So if you’re sensitive, I’d pass.

tl;dr goodreads review:

all i can say is this hurt.

thank you to netgalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review ❤️

-- SOME THOUGHTS --

Betty remains one of my favorite books of all time, period point blank, and when I learned that McDaniel was writing a new novel, I simply turned into a rocket and blasted off into space. This book packs the same emotional punch, depth, and horror that was prevalent in Betty, in which we are watching these characters live the worst moments of their lives with writing that is so beautiful, so empathetic towards the characters that McDaniel is creating and offering us, the readers, insight into our lives. This book also sheds light on a horrid true crime case that I didn't know of, and the fictionalization of this case is absolutely incredible and respectful. I'd highly recommend this and am buying a physical copy of this book and instantaneously rereading it.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. *Gathers Thoughts*

This may be due to On the Savage Side being my first Tiffany McDaniel novel, but I've never read a book quite like this. It's as if one side (the beautiful side) of this story is a lyrical depiction of magical realism from the viewpoint of whimsical children. There the air is misty and fragrant, like they're in their very own secret garden in their own little world. And the other side (the savage side) is a dark and depressing wasteland where dreams go to die at the end of a needle, and women waste away into the background before the river spits them out. Is your brain spinning? Wondering if I've lost my mind? Yeah, join the club. Such are my jumbled thoughts after reading this story.

Identical twins Arcade and Daffodil Poet, Arc and Daffy to most, are growing up in Ohio in the shadow of the paper mill and in a house filled with prostitutes and heroin addicts. Being the children of 'junkies' has it's own set of difficulties, not to mention being the children of neglectful parents who don't pay attention to who they let inside their homes...around their young daughters. As you can imagine, it's a bleak upbringing, and when the twins grow older, their harsh past has a way of showing itself in their futures. Doomed to self-fulfilling prophecies, Arc and Daffy's lives take a turn for the worst when they start finding their friends show up dead in the river. Clues start appearing like flies, lured by the spider, and the closer and closer they get to the center of the web, the more spiders appear.

My heart cracked open so many times while reading this story. As the child of an addict, one who broke the mold, I can easily see how my life could have taken a different turn, had the circumstances in my life been just a bit varied. The women here are no different. Drug addicts and prostitutes are WHAT they are...but that's not WHO they are. This story takes a long, hard look at how these victims are perceived and judged for what they were in life versus what they were at their core; women. Human beings. Instead they were expendable outlets for someone's inner evil and lack of power, and this novel did a great job of humanizing these souls, even when their lives were brushed under the door and forgotten by everyone but the people who they touched in life. A valid and heartbreaking look at just how differently 'certain' victims can be treated and remembered. And how justice isn't fought for then when they're easier to write off as addicts and whores.

first off the writing in this book is absolutely STUNNING and i need to read more from McDaniel asap (finally time to whip Betty off my shelf). this was a lot darker than i expected and is a really heartbreaking look at these girls who grew up in poverty with drug addicted families, desperate to get out, only to end up just like them. Daffy and Arc came alive on the page and i really viscerally felt for them as we move through different points of their lives.
I wouldn’t say the synopsis is misleading, however this definitely reads more like a dark coming of age story than a mystery, so don’t go in expecting a thriller - it definitely focuses more on following the lives of these girls rather than the murders. The only thing holding me back from giving this a glowing 5 star is that i do think it would’ve benefited from being cut down a bit, it reached a point where i definitely started to feel its length.

On the Savage Side is a dark, deeply disturbing, and painful story about twins Daffy and Arc, and their lives growing up in the shadow of a paper mill in Chillicothe, Ohio. The story tackles many tough subjects including rape, child abuse, drug use and addiction, infant loss, murder, prostitution, and so on.

I had expected there to be more of a mystery surrounding the book, as the description made it out to sound, but this is much more of a tome regarding drug addiction and sex workers. Yes, there is death, but it's not a whodunnit by any means. I would categorize this more as Literary Fiction or Drama than Mystery/Thriller.

This was my first time reading something by McDaniel, and while she is an incredible weaver of words, I definitely felt like I was trudging through the book. There were several points I was thinking about putting the book down, but continued on in hopes the mystery element would come more into play.

The only reason I feel like it deserves 3-3.5 stars is the ending. It definitely ended stronger than I anticipated.

Perhaps this book was a bit too heavy for my taste. Know going into it, it is a very tragic story and will not leave you with all the happy feels.

Thank you Knopf and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is heartbreaking and real and raw. It is inspired by the murders of six women in Chillicothe, Ohio which were later referred to as the Chillicothe Six. This story will haunt me for some time as it is told in their voices as they struggle with the loss of their hopes and dreams and even their desire to get out of Chillicothe someday.
Twin sisters Arcade (Arc) and Daffodil (Daffy) were born to their addict parents and raised by their Mamaw Milkweed, who protected them and loved them with all she had. Their mother turns to prostitution after their father dies and this just adds to the trauma that these girls have to live through and see on a daily basis. It shapes who they become, not just physically but emotionally and psychologically as well. Because their town is poor their friends are walking through the same fate as they are. They try to support each other and watch each others backs, but when the River Monster starts claiming them, the downward spiral goes even further and faster.
At its core, this book talks about empowering women and strengthening their relationships with each other and the damage men do to them and what they would look like without them. And how different their lives would be without the damage inflicted on them by men when they were too little to do anything about it and it really speaks to the fundamentals of relationships of life. You have to value them and respect the people you love. Especially the women in your life. Too often they are taken for granted until it’s too late.
Much like the authors previous book, Betty, I won’t be forgetting this story any time soon.
Thanks to Knopf Publishing and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

4.5 Stars

Life had been challenging for Arcade (Arc) Doggs since she was young. Growing up in a small town with a dysfunctional family, Arc, and her twin sister Daffy learned to get by to survive. However, things became even more complicated as bodies started to surface and threatened to upend their already crumbling lives.

This book touched on heavy subjects, and some parts were hard to read. I love when authors put their characters through a wringer, and these characters didn’t get a break. I felt strong emotions towards them with anger and sadness dominating. I enjoyed the overall story as I tried to figure things out along the way. Though I have to say, I wanted the ending to be more satisfying.

On the Savage Side is a story of survival and coping. It would appeal to readers who enjoy literary fiction with elements of crime and mystery.

I found this to be such a challenging, beautiful, devastating read. It is certainly a very dark and heavy reading experience and trigger warnings should be checked but it is like I said a beautiful read. I thought that the dream world that sisters Daffy and Arc create for themselves throughout was so heartbreaking and also shows how children cope with trauma. I loved Mamaw Milkweed. I loved the other “Queens.” This is such a powerful story about women and sisterhood and also about our ancestral connection to the land.

Set in Chillicothe, Ohio and based on real events, McDaniel has crafted a sleepy, crosshatched story weaving in and around the Doggs twins, Arc and Daffy, with dense, flowery writing leading the way. Though marketed as a mystery / thriller, there is very little by way of elements that serve those genres that appear in McDaniel's story.

Arc tells the reader in the initial salvo of this book that she is narrating from beyond the grave. McDaniel has Arc's telling of events unfold on a back-and-forth and all-around timeline, jumping between 1979, 1981, 1983, 1993, and 1994 (and so forth) with little regard to the reveal of plot or character development. It's a mishmash of sorts and adds to the dreamlike quality of the style McDaniel has chosen. When young women begin dying, their corpses found floating in the river, Arc must contend with all she has to lose and how little will be done to find out who is killing these girls.

This book is fairly dark and excessively bleak — it's bad on bad, trauma on trauma . . . leaving little to no room for subtext. I don't mind dark books, and I don't mind bleak, but to offer this story up in this manner, hand over fist, with nothing but darkness and shadows, changes the values of the hues and offers no entry for light to creep in. No depth can be attained without a broader range and finer distinction. With this dullness added to the weighty subject matter, the nuances are lost.

In addition, McDaniel mentions in an article with Columbus Underground she wanted to give these girls their own language, saying, "Of course it still had to be English so that the reader could understand it, but their language was through their imagination, it was through that mythology, and that was really how they spoke to each other in this place...." I never could get beyond the wordy, folksy language injected into everyone's speech. It was metaphor on top of metaphor — simile on top of simile — euphemism on top of euphemism — much of which was repeated throughout. This only reinforced that these people are poor and uneducated, and reduced them by doing so. Such romanticizations of the poor, the uneducated, and the drug-addicted women in this novel served only to further underscore a separation from any similarities you might otherwise find. Driving home this absurd poor-person Appalachian poet philosopher trope was more than I could mindfully or willingly navigate.

The titular "savage side" of life is compared to weaving in the ends on a crochet project and I really felt that.

First things first, this is not a mystery/thriller, which is what I was expecting going into this book. This is a particularly brutal depiction of addiction, sex work, and the way that society is willing to discard girls and women who partake in those activities. We're following Arc, along with her twin sister Daffy who grew up neglected by their heroin addicted mother, and how they too become addicted to heroin as teenagers. When the bodies of their friends start washing up in the river, Arc has to cope with the fear that she will lose the last remaining people that she loves and the knowledge that no one is going to do anything about it.

I want to state very plainly that this 2-star rating has nothing to do with craft -- this book is beautifully written. It's lyrical and poetic, and Tiffany McDaniel is able to infuse her characters with hope and whimsy despite their rather desolate circumstances. She also uses a lot of surreal imagery and complex symbolism without ever making the writing feel inaccessible.

The 2-star rating is more a reflection of how bad a time I had reading this book. This is truly the darkest book I have ever read, and spent the entire time feeling like I wanted to crawl out of my skin with rage, depression, and nausea. It's really not for the faint of heart. I also felt a pretty significant disconnect between the writing style and the subject matter. We're examining these grim, very real circumstances but the flowery symbolism constant in the prose and dialogue makes it feel almost fantastical. So even though this was inspired by the very real unsolved murders of the Chillicothe Six, it just felt like a horrific fever dream where everything bad that could possibly happen does, and then someone wrote some poetry about it.

This is absolutely not a bad book, but I really can't say who I'd recommend it to. I think if you have a very high tolerance for brutality, and really love purple prose, maybe this is for you! But please check content warnings before going in.

Non-exhaustive list of content warnings: substance abuse, addiction, violence, gore, sexual assault (including the repeated on-page rape of a child), animal abuse, miscarriage, murder

The writing in this book is five star perfection, it’s lyrical, haunting, raw and evocative.

The story is deeply disturbing, dark, and sometimes I had a hard time finding the small beautiful things within the pages.

However this is a story that is important and is based on true events and on relevant important issues.

Addiction has many faces but the ones we forget most are those of women.

This story spans the lives of twins Arc and Daffy and the heartbreaking upbringing and almost chances at a happy life that are stolen away again and again. There is then an even deeper dive into the cases of missing women in the Chillicothe, Ohio area and their connection to the twins and the inherent dangers of being a women without any agency.

Written in such a way that all the elements of earth are metaphoric in creating parallels to the women and their heartbreaks and truths leaving a very poetic prose.

McDaniels writing is truly her own beast and the way she creates tragedy is discernible, I had to set this book down many times to put my self back at ease.

Trigger warnings abound so please do your research or shoot me a DM.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the advanced copy, all opinions are my own, this will out next week, February 14.

(4.5 stars) Wow. I challenge anyone to read this book and not be moved by the twins’ story. It’s a tale of addiction and murder so disturbing that you’ll never forget it. You can’t help but root for Arc (short for Arcade) and her sister Daffodil, fiery redheads with booming imaginations who are born into an addict household. Their mother a heroin user and prostitute, the twins find themselves unavoidably drawn into both worlds. It’s depressing to say the least.

According to the author (who wrote Betty, a book I loved), the inspiration for the story comes from the unsolved murders of six women in a small Ohio town. Arc and Daffodil and their four friends make an irresistible target for a killer, who murders the girls one after another and dumps their bodies into the town’s river. Arc, as narrator, allows us a ringside seat to the action, as she recounts the fates of her sister and friends, and simultaneously tries to save herself. But Arc is not the most reliable of narrators and there’s a reveal that causes the reader to question everything they have been told.

The writing is poetic at times, especially as relates to the girls’ imaginations. The twins draw and compose songs and poems almost frantically in the midst of their troubles. But overall, the tone is relentlessly depressing. I caution potential readers not to expect everything to be tied up nice and neat for the characters…or maybe that’s exactly what to expect. The story is true to its title – on the savage side. Highly recommended for those in the right frame of mind.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knofp Publishing for making this title available for review.

Not every book is an enjoyable reading experience, and this certainly wasn't for me. But not every book IS enjoyable. Some, like On The Savage Side, force the reader's empathy and moral values to be put under a microscope.
This is the story of twin sisters Arc and Daffy, born into poverty through addict parents. Their childhood is full of neglect and abuse, leading them straight to the same drugs their parents raised them under. When their friends start disappearing around them, and turning up dead in the river, Arc tries to find out who is hurting them.
This isn't a book where you find yourself rooting for anyone. I found myself nauseated at several characters lack of growth or perspective. But then I thought...that's definitely the point.
(Social media review to come this week)