House of Cotton is is a very strange book. Part social horror, part Southern Gothic literary fiction, it's narrated by 19-year-old Magnolia, whose grandmother has recently passed away, leaving her penniless and squarely in the sights of a predatory landlord. When a stranger named Cotton offers her a lucrative "modeling" job at his family's funeral home, Magnolia jumps at the chance to turn her luck around. But as she becomes more enmeshed in Cotton's world, and as his requests become increasingly bizarre, Magnolia realizes she may be in over her head.

Monica Brashears' writing is incredible, sinuous and sensual, with a cadence to the prose that reads almost like poetry. Although House of Cotton is set in the present day, there's a quality to the writing that makes it feel timeless, like a bygone era, making the thoroughly modern moments (Magnolia's Tinder hook-ups; Skype sessions with clients) feel jarring in a way that I think is probably intentional. With haunting, startling imagery, Brashears explores themes surrounding race, class, sexuality, trauma, and grief and loss, set against the backdrop of a modern South that refuses to let go of the old ways.

House of Cotton has many uncomfortable moments as it unflinchingly addresses topics like rape, abortion, racism, addiction, and abuse, but never in a way that feels gratuitous. What Brashears does most successfully in her debut is paint a devastating portrait of what it's like to be lost in grief through the complicated Magnolia, who, desperately trying to find a way through her heartbreak and loss, seeks to become whole by becoming someone else. More than anything, the book reads like a character study as we watch a young woman attempt to navigate through her grief and troubling life circumstances.

There are some supernatural and horror elements that feel a bit hazy, and the plot likewise feels a bit vague and not fully formed. House of Cotton is a bizarre book that kind of just proceeds from one scene to the next, saying a lot but also not really going anywhere, until it just ends. There are lots of important insights in its pages, but it may leave some readers unsatisfied due to the ephemeral nature of the plot and the lack of a strong resolution. I definitely found value in it and I'm glad I read it, even though I think it lacked in some areas. Monica Brashears is clearly an ambitious, talented writer, and I'll be eager to read whatever she writes next.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect in starting this book, but from the first page, I was instantly captivated by Brashears’ poetic and raw and beautiful writing style. The House of Cotton is a sharp and powerful Black Southern gothic horror story that takes an unflinching look at Appalachia and the American South. The clear messages of racism and violence against women (especially Black Women) is woven through in such a powerful way that I found myself in tears by the end of it. I have never read a story written like this, and I am so glad that I had the chance to. Also, the audiobook is phenomenal!

House of Cotton is a dark, atmospheric read. The story is so weird and I still find myself wondering what I read. It's taken me a couple months to finally write my review. The relationship between Magnolia and her grandma is touching. I felt that the characters were too one-dimensional and I wanted more from them. Brashears is a talented writer and I look forward to reading more books written by her. The narrator did a great job with the audiobook. I really enjoyed listening to her voice. If you like Southern gothic vibes, this book will be right up your alley.

Thank you to Flatiron books for the ALC.

A wonderful narrator, and a passionate, strange story. I was engrossed in the book but each time I came up for air I would wonder to myself- what is this book about? And yet I kept reading, my curiosity peaked. I really enjoyed the writing style and the juxtaposition between the characters, the mundane and the macabre. I would absolutely read more from this author.

This was such a unique story of class, race, and trauma, with themes of grief. I listened to the audiobook format and would definitely recommend this.

*many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
Magnolia is trying to deal with the death of her grandmother. All of her coping methods are unhealthy. She is haunted by the spirit of the dead woman.
The elements of horror and mystery didn't really come together for me. It was ok for southern gothic, but nothing special.

I'm not going to be able to finish this. I'm all for an odd premise with some intensity, but the great writing doesn't make up for the pure nausea I had the entire time. Thank you NetGalley for the Audio ARC.

House of Cotton was a different story arc that I never encountered before. At first, I thought the story would have been more of a horror genre with ghosts, murders or different kind of haunting secret, but I was totally shocked by how things turned out for the main character Magnolia. All the twists and turns kept me on edge listening to this book and I could never stop listening to it. What made the audiobook even better, was their narrator's Southern dialogue and voice for the story's setting. In some ways, I thought the book's plot events were strange and unusual, but the more I listened, I could understand how the author used these tricks to keep her audiences' attention. This book was weird and stranger than I am used to, but I absolutely loved it. I also like how she used Grimm Fairytale references as mental distractions through bad situations. Overall, the story was really messed up in some ways, but I loved the story's ending and outcome for the main character.

I listened to this on audio book. I enjoyed the narrator and thought the writing was strong, but for me, something was missing, leaving me feeling disconnected. It may be that my expectations for a gothic novel weren't met, through no fault of the author. An interesting premise in its own right, I may revisit this at a later date. 3.5 stars rounded up.

I sadly just couldn’t get into it. Life to short to commit to an okay book when you could find one that provides a fantastic escape! I tried to as keep going and ultimately I know other will enjoy it more for books appeal to everyone in a different way! Thank you for providing this ARC for me to try reading.

Magnolia has a heartbreaking story. She has been taken advantage of essentially her entire life. After her grandmother passes she faces more trauma. This leads her to Cotton and beginning to work for him and his aunt. Magnolia begins to feel as though she may have found a place she belongs, but the longer she stays at The House of Cotton, the more she realizes it isn’t what it originally seemed. There are quite a few graphic sex scenes, which I found to be uncomfortable at first, but then saw the empowerment Magnolia felt and was amazed by the way she took whatever she wanted with no apology as most men in her life had done to her. The growth Magnolia goes through in such a short time was inspiring. This novel did a beautiful job of discussing poverty, racism, addiction, culture, religion, and issues with the patriarchy while telling a heart wrenching empowering story. Be sure to check trigger warnings before reading as many sensitive topics are discussed.

Desperate and just shy of penniless after losing her grandmother, 19 year old Magnolia Brown contemplates taking a stranger up on his offer for a modeling gig.....only it's no type of modeling she's ever heard of before. Cotton runs a funeral home by day but wants Magnolia to assist in providing a different clientele with a unique version of closure in relation to their dearly departed.

I was intrigued by the premise and took a chance on something that normally isn't in my wheelhouse, but the execution fell a little flat for me. Between visitations from her decaying her grandma, trying to help a homeless man, seeking to end an unwanted pregnancy, being super promiscuous.....the plot felt a bit all over the place and perhaps some of it just went right over my head. I did enjoy Jeanette Illidge's narration.

Special thanks to macmillan audio and netgalley for providing me with an ALC of House of Cotton for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

After her grandmother’s death, 19 year old Magnolia has nothing going for her, until she is offered a job as a model for a funeral home.

The prose, the prose, the prose!

Plot wise I would give this a 4, but the writing alone bumps this to a 4.5. It’s utterly unique, and I loved following along with Magnolia’s dissociative imagery even when I didn’t know what was going on.

Maybe I blinked, but I didn’t exactly know what was happening with the whole Cricket/Mama Brown situation.

I also think Magnolia was ultra intelligent, which made her destructive sexual escapades very confusing.

I just know I’ll never read another book like this.

Check TW’s before reading this, there’s a lot of heavy stuff.
The narrator did a perfect job with all of the characters.

Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan audio for the ALC, and a special thanks for Monica Brashears. All opinions are my own.

House of Cotton focuses on 19 year old Magnolia and her overwhelming grief at the loss of her Mama Brown (grandma). Magnolia is a young southern black girl living in poverty and the reader will soon feel the depth of just how different Magnolia's life is from the rest of the characters.

This book is full of trigger warnings so I thought I should list them out:
-sexual assault
-alcoholism
-drug use
-necrophilia

If you are sensitive to these dark topics, this may not be the book for you! I found this book to be deeply disturbing and upsetting. It was hard to hear a down-on-their-luck character go from bad to worse, over and over again. I wanted the ending to be a little bit more redeemable, but it represents real life unfortunately.

Overall, this is a 3.5 star for me. I really enjoyed the narrator and will be looking into other books she's done!

House of Cotton

Special thanks to NetGalley and FlatIron Books for allowing me access to an Advanced Listener’s Copy of the Audiobook.

I was immediately drawn to this one by this gorgeous cover and the description as a southern gothic centered around what it means to be a poor black woman in the south. I found the characters to be intriguing and mysterious, each riddled with their own underlying histories of what the “god-fearing” south and plantation life has made of them.

When he meets Magnolia, she is struggling financially working at a gas station and he offers her a modeling job at his funeral home. She accepts and eventually ends up moving in with him and his aunt. House of Cotton is a timely cultural criticism of the ways that black women are exploited for entertainment and their bodies become fetishized, often by wealthy white men. Mr. Cotton is no exception to this. Cotton’s aunt’s involvement is the epitome of white women who are complicit in the oppression— not just in the sense of white vs black, but also woman to woman in a systemic patriarchal sense. Cotton’s white savior complex seems to allow him to justify his otherwise creepy behavior when he begins grooming Magnolia in order to manipulate her for his gain. The strange artwork and odd fixation with death are just the tip of the iceberg for all the things wrong with the Cotton House that becomes slowly unveiled to readers throughout the pages of this book.

Author, Karla Brashears, masters the plot of this southern gothic novel in ways that mimic Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye while still making it a story of her own. The intentionality of the influence most certainly does not go unnoticed. I hope this book gets widely read and talked about for years to come.

House of Cotton was an interesting read. I liked the odd approach of Magnolia working in a funeral parlor in an *unusual* way. It had more graphic sex scenes than I was expecting. The book really delves into issues of race, class, power, and money. I liked the side characters, even when they were "unlikeable".
I really liked the narrator, she gave a great performance and brought Magnolia to life.

This book was not at all what I expected it to be, but still a great read. I was equating gothic with scary, and this book is not exactly that. It has morbidity to it, but I wouldn't consider it scary. However, there's some interesting conversations involved in the details of the book. For example, the main character has a traumatic experience, and the author describes a trauma response that comes along with that particular trauma that is not often talked about in literature. I feel like I still had unanswered questions in the end, or at least loose ends with clues into the answers, but overall, it was a good read.

Interesting novel--I'm not familiar with much Southern Gothic writing, but would be interested in reading more. I think the overall narrative tone was good, although I wasn't completely captivated. I've heard others have greatly enjoyed House of Cotton, so I encourage others to give it a try!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Monica Breashears, and NetGalley for providing this ALC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Let me get my feelings out of the way first: I LOVED this book. I can't stop recommending it to my friends, and although it's definitely not accurate to say "Oh, this is like Ginny and Georgia but also like "Get Out".... Those were the vibes for me and I feel like it's a valid comparison. I also must take a moment to say that I loved the narrator for this book and thought she did an absolutely stellar job.

On to my actual review of this book: This novel is an unforgettable and shocking exploration of the aftermath of the American plantation and the intersectionality of poverty, Blackness, and womanhood in the God-fearing south- Namely, East Tennessee. Having grown up there, trust and believe that that enough is all you need for a horror story. Nineteen-year-old Magnolia, broke and effectively an orphan, finds herself haunted by her overdrawn bank account, predatory landlord, and the ghost of her late grandmother Mama Brown. That is, until a mysterious, stranger named Cotton walks into her life and offers her a lucrative "modeling" job at his family's funeral home. Yes, yes, I know. This girl is 19, please forgive her.

As Magnolia accepts the offer, her problems only multiply. Cotton's requests become increasingly more strange, and Magnolia discovers that there's a lot more at stake than just her rent. Brashears' writing is so captivating, and the characters are vivid and believable (in that weird ass, funeral home having, crazy mountain people way). Magnolia is a relatable protagonist, and her journey is heart-wrenching and eye-opening. I really felt like the haunting ghost of Mama Brown serves as a crucial lifeline for Magnolia and a symbol of intergenerational trauma, and it was really thought provoking for me as the reader.

House of Cotton is a horror novel that is not for the faint of heart. It delves deep into the twisted depths of American history and its lasting effects on Black Americans. It's a book that will leave you reeling, thinking, grossed out, and yet- I can't say enough good things about it. Highly recommended for fans of horror, social commentary, and unique main characters.

HAPPY PUB DAY!!🥳 HOUSE OF COTTON by @_dandelo_ was a surreal, gritty, sultry read. Set in the modern Southern U.S., this story is packed with social and historical commentary that will get your noggin percolating. Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publisher. @macmillan.audio for the audio-ARC.

Magnolia is a 19 year old black woman barely scraping by working at a gas station after the death of her grandmother Mama Brown leaves her alone to fend off her predatory landlord, her increasing stack of bills, and her overwhelming feeling of despair. When a mysterious white man offers an opportunity to "model" at his family's funeral home, she can't resist the cash he flaunts. As the modeling gigs become increasingly bizarre, Magnolia becomes increasingly aware of her place in this situation and has to weigh her worth against the money being offered.

If you are looking for a book that examines the class, race, and historical context of the American South through the eyes of a modern, poor, young, black female, this is your book.

Magnolia's tentative relationships, the claustrophobia of some of the scenes, the contextual commentary and the voice of Magnolia herself are all accoutrements to this feast of a story.

Well worth your time if you are looking for a spooky, macabre story with layers of undertones. Plus, look at that cover!

The voice actor in this one did an excellent job of bringing Magnolia's voice to life and I recommend the listen!

I hope all you bookbots have a wonderful day! It is looking kinda sunny here here in Seattle and I ain't mad at it!

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