Ring Shout

Happy October, everyone! Welcome to another installment of Ariel’s Arcs! I am so excited to talk about one of my most favorite reads of 2020. Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark takes place in rural Georgia in 1922. The film “The Birth of a Nation” has been out for a few years, and the Black community has noticed a drastic increase of open KKK activity and violence. The premise and foundation of this novel is true, and if you’re interested in more information about this historical aspect of the book, I found that the book Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi gives an excellent overview of the historical context that is addressed in this novel. 

In Ring Shout, our heroine Maryse has found herself bootlegging liquor during the prohibition whilst dodging Klan rallies and parades. The reader is thrust into the middle of her adventure where you quickly learn that she is no ordinary bootlegger: she also hunts interdimensional monsters that feed off of the hate that the KKK readily provides. When she gets wind that the incredibly racist film “The Birth of a Nation” will be further weaponized to summon an even stronger interdimensional eldritch horror, Maryse and her allies will do what it takes to stand tall in the face of hate and inequity.

Ring Shout, in short, is a powerful read. There is power in subverting the racist themes of H. P. Lovecraft and creating an even more engaging and exciting story. While I’ve known about the “Lovecraftian” genre that is heavily inspired by the lore that Lovecraft popularized in the West, I have found a special appreciation for the specific subversion of Lovecraftian lore. Rather than bypassing or ignoring the racial overtones of H.P. Lovecraft, Ring Shout directly confronts and utilizes Lovecraftian themes to build a narrative that focuses on the restoration of justice and equity. Having recently finished The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin, I felt the common subversion threads between these two books that, even though they took place in vastly different US locations (Ring Shout being rural Georgia in 1922 and The City We Became being New York City in 2020), the motif of reclaiming a harmful narrative by utilizing the lore for good is one of the largest impacts a fictional subgenre has had on me.

Even if horror isn’t your typical genre this book is worth the read, just for the powerful messages and the impact that the story leaves. Some content notes to be aware of: use of alcohol, death, murder, racism, graphic violence, and gore.

A huge Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for an advanced copy of the Ring Shout!

Final Rating:

** Be sure to check out Ring Shout. It is out October 13. You can use the preorder links below. **
Amazon Kindle
Amazon Print

Cover Photo by Pascal Meier on Unsplash