Thanks to Penguin/Viking for this ARC of Carson Faust's 'If the Dead Belong Here.'

A deeply atmospheric chiller/thriller which uses the real-life tragedy of Native American 'educational' and 'medical' abuses in the 20th century (which continue into the 21st) and the generational trauma suffered by Native Americans as the jumping off point and then layers it with the supernatural and Native American legend and folklore.

A young child goes missing and we spend the book learning about her extended family's trauma and the aforementioned institutional abuses laid upon them and the wider Native American community while the search - official and otherwise - goes on for the child. There's a lot of of pain and tragedy involved in this novel, and that's not surprising - it's the reality now and has been for generations of Indigenous people - but there's a real sense of love and reconnection as Nadine, the missing child's older sister, learns about her family heritage of healing and 'magic' in South Carolina.

This is a story about broken, damaged people, fracture families, abuse, and though there are no happy endings, you get some sense of hope from that strand of the story that sees Nadine reconnect with her heritage and roots.

A really tough but compelling tale.

Carson Faust draws on their own heritage, the effects of colonization, and indigenous folklore to create a haunting tale of generational trauma.

The writing is atmospheric, the characters and story thought-provoking and emotional. I very much enjoyed the creepy moments involving the shadows and what Nadine initially calls the "crooked-mouth woman." The characters, in particular, were crafted thoughtfully, Nadine especially. I desperately wanted to know more about Elgone and Nadine's aunties -- their lives as healers in the deep south could be a book on its own.

My issue with If the Dead Belong Here is almost entirely a personal one, and that is this: while well-written with an immersive setting, stories with characters whose lives are just never-ending tragedies really aren't my thing. I appreciate the importance of the messages and themes here, but the content is maybe not for me?

This is difficult to rate because I didn't understand much of the ending, except that I'm depressed on Nadine's behalf. She deserved so much better.

Thank you to NetGalley, Viking Penguin, and the author for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Between 1830 and 1850, the U.S. government’s forced displacement known as the Trail of Tears removed thousands of Native Americans from their ancestral lands in the Southeastern United States. But according to Native folklore, some Indigenous people evaded the Removal, sheltered by supernatural Little People. Faust’s atmospheric debut focuses on a family descended from those survivors and the generational trauma they have endured. When six-year-old Laurel Taylor vanishes from her Wisconsin home early one morning in 1996, her devastated mother, Ayita, believes her abusive ex-husband Barron kidnapped their daughter, even though Barron had abandoned the family before Ayita realized she was pregnant. But as weeks pass by and Laurel remains missing, Nadine, her older sister, begins experiencing nightmares and hearing whispers, especially in the tree house where Laurel always played. Have the Little People taken Lauren or are other family ghosts responsible? To find answers, Nadine travels with her Aunt Rosebud to South Carolina, where her fractured family has deep roots. Faust, an enrolled member of the Edisto Natchez-Kusso Tribe of South Carolina, draws on his family history and Indigenous mythology to weave a haunting tale of loss and redemption that may remind some readers of Keith Donohue’s The Stolen Child with a touch of Poltergeist..

Here’s a rewritten version of the summary using different words:

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When six-year-old Laurel Taylor mysteriously disappears, her family is left in tatters, struggling to cope with the overwhelming grief and lingering questions. As their hopes begin to fade, Laurel’s older sister, Nadine, starts to have ni

In this haunting literary debut, Carson Faust explores the impact of colonization and the generational wounds it inflicts on Native American families. Drawing on Indigenous traditions and inspired by the author’s personal heritage, *If the Dead Belong Here* delves into the concept of being haunted—by both supernatural forces and self-inflicted fears. Faust weaves a compelling and multifaceted narrative about the intricate legacies of violence that define our present, the necessity of respecting our history, and the tenacity of a family—and a community—determined to overcome past suffering.

This is probably the longest most drawn out book I’ve read in a while. There is way too much packed into this story for it to make sense together. I also believe gothic novels have lost the plot. This book is not scary or creepy. It wants to be a supernatural Native American tale so bad but feels clumsy and mismatched. This has potential with some proper editing and thinning out

I'm not entirely sure that you can call a book a “Native American Southern Gothic” if 90% of it takes place in Wisconsin, but perhaps that's just me being nit-picky. Honestly, I really don't know how to categorize this book. There are supernatural elements, but it's not really horror. It's kind of, I dunno, imagine that a very PG-13, very heavily sedated Stephen Graham Jones collaborated on a book with Thomas Hardy and Graham Jones was all, like, “Hey, we need to add in some supernatural stuff and Native American folklore.” And Hardy was all, “That's cool and we can definitely do that, but mostly we have to make sure that it's really, really depressing and that the characters' lives are all just one long, never-ending tragedy. Kind of Tess of the D'Urbervilles vibes but with fairies or some shit?” I mean, obviously this isn't the most likely author collaboration (mostly because Hardy has been dead for almost a hundred years), but I imagine that the novel they came up with would look a lot like this one.

Don't get me wrong. Lots of people are going to love this book. It's atmospheric and has otherworldly aspects without being scary. There's a family of healers and Little People (of the supernatural variety, not individuals with dwarfism). There are fever dream-y bits and serious bits and lots of contemplation on family and grief and generational trauma. There are witchy moments and tender moments and even a few creepy moments. If you like dark and emotional tales involving dysfunctional families and tragic alcoholism and violence and depression and marginalized communities, there's a very good chance that your'e going to find this one unputdownable. If you go into it expecting a traditional horror novel with creatures in the woods who are snatching away defenseless children, however, well … it's definitely not that.

My favorite parts of the book were the chapters that do take place in South Carolina, when Nadine meets her extended family and learns to control her supernatural gifts. “Before we do anything, you need to understand: You have the sight. And there's some trouble with the sight … You may be able to see things other folks can't. But those other things can see right back into you.” Like, oh my gosh, yes. This is what I came here for! Rosebud and Talisa and Elgone and Prentiss are all fascinating characters and I would love to read an entire book about just them and their lives as healers.

Ultimately, I found this book to be thought-provoking and unique, but so, so, very depressing. The characters' lives are bleak and there is a very definite lack of sunshine and rainbows. It's full of broken people and broken families and there just isn't enough of the supernatural stuff to counterbalance all of the tragedy. That's not to say that it isn't a good book because it certainly has literary merit, but … yeah. So much sadness.

My overall rating: 3.49 stars, rounded down.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Viking for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is October 7, 2025.

Haunted. The word conjures up thoughts of abandoned houses and stories of specters told by the fire. If the Dead Belong Here is not that kind of ghost story, though. Houses can be just as haunted by those still living in them, and sometimes, the ghosts are grief, generational trauma, and granting yourself the ability to process and evolve.

Carson Faust has also worked to masterfully weave in supernatural elements and Indigenous folklore, giving this debut even more layers. What begins with a disappearance becomes a heartbreaking and beautifully-crafted story of a family who are all confronting the past, family turmoil, loss, violence, pain, and growth in their own ways. The characters are extremely well-written, and their pain, their choices, are all unique and compelling. As the reader, you're fully immersed in the tragedy that has painted Nadine Taylor's family for generations, and you're by her side as she embraces the practices and traditions of her family to seek the guidance of her elders.

This book had my attention the second I saw "Native American Southern gothic," and I'm so glad that I picked it up. Knowing that the author drew inspiration from the history of her own family made this book even more engaging, and I can't wait to read more of Faust's work in the future. I like to avoid spoilers, but for other readers, I will note that a lot of heavy content is addressed in this book. While that made me love it even more, I know that isn't for everyone.

I hope to see this book get the attention it rightfully deserves. At its core, If the Dead Belong Here delivers a thought-provoking narrative delving into familial pain, trauma, and resilience, and how those things are all colored by the scars the past has left on this family.

((While the viewpoints shared are my own, I want to thank NetGalley, Viking Penguin, and Carson Faust for this complimentary copy.))

The book’s sorrow isn’t just told—it’s felt. The writing is so immersive that the grief and desperation settle in your chest, making every moment heavy with emotion. Especially in the struggles Nadine and Ayita face both within themselves and in their relationships with others. The narrative effectively conveys the weight of their trauma, allowing the reader to experience it with them.

I also enjoyed the cultural aspects woven into the story. While I’m not very knowledgeable about Native American folklore, I appreciated what the book offered and the light it cast on the various aspects.

The book employs multiple POVs and shifts between timelines, which highlights how past events shape current conflicts. It intertwines generational traumas, showing how cause and effect ripple through time. Ultimately affecting the characters in powerful ways. However, some portions felt underdeveloped or unclear. There were moments where I wasn’t sure if I had missed something, and even after re-reading, I was still left with unanswered questions.

That said, I was surprised to learn this is the author’s debut novel. Despite my frustrations at times, the writing was strong, and I ultimately enjoyed the book. I’m definitely interested in seeing what he does next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Penguin for the ARC!

3.5 stars. This novel left me wanting more. The story jumped around a lot, and I do not feel as though we got an entire picture of any aspect of the story.