The Only Good Indians
Four friends are haunted by a hunting trip they took years ago on sacred Indian grounds. Though they left the carcasses in the wintery forest, what came after them was so much colder.
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones is a horror novel that debuted in 2020. It tells the story of four American Indian friend separated by life, all haunted by an event from their youth. I am always looking for a good horror novel (as many of you know), and for a while…
this was literally all I kept hearing about.
Stephen Graham Jones this. TOGI that. Everybody was talking about it.
A lot of times, I hateeeee buying into things that are hyped to this point. Because in much of my experience, things are never as good as people make them seem. But maybe that’s just me.
But this book though. This book right here.
Believe the hype.
TOGI starts out with one of the four Indian friends, Ricky, leaving a bar late at night. As he leaves the bar to piss, he catches an elk stuck in the parking lot ramming into cars. He tries to calm the elk, only for the elk to take off- leaving Ricky caught in a parking lot full of damaged cars belonging to a bunch of angry red necks, having just emerged from the bar to see what the ruckus was. As Ricky is caught by the red necks and beaten to death, he realizes the elk was not there by accident.
The story continues, as the narrative stalks each of the four friends, with a spirit looking to take vengeance for the actions of the friends. As we readers become privy to the life of these four- past, present, and future- we must question whether the events unfold are truly justice- or something much more malevolent.
There is so much to love about this book. For me, Jones’ did a great job with the narration, shifting between characters in a silky smooth manner. The ending does a great job of wrapping things up nicely, without being too clean of an ending if you get my drift. As you read the book, you don’t necessarily cheer for the friends and their survival- but the actions of the spirit is by no means deserved (seriously, there is a scene near the end of the book between two of the friends and involves an old truck- fucken Shakespeare-ian the way things unfold. Heartbreaking). For me, when it comes to movies and books, good horror always leaves me haunted by some sort of tragic aspect. TOGI does this well, and Jones has made it to the top of my list of authors to devour as quickly as possible. I can’t really think of anything the book was in dire need of, in order to be improved upon.
Rating: I give this book 11 out of 10 dead elk spirits, because it was so beautifully written. So much to appreciate about the book- the plot, the imagery, the spirit, the telling of it all!
If you are looking for a good book in the same vein in, I have some wild suggestions for you. I mentioned there being some Shakespeare-ian aspects to this novel. With that in mind, read Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet. If you don’t know the premise of either of those… I don’t know what to tell you. Shoot me a message and I’ll see if I can figure out which rock you might be stuck under. You can also check out Different Seasons by Stephen King. It contains four short stories, including one titled “The Body,” about four boys who go searching for a dead body. It was the premise of the movie Stand By Me, which you should also be sure to check out.
Movies to check out? How about starting with Stand By Me, as mentioned above. You can also check out Thinner, another movie based on a King story. A man is cursed by the ringmaster of a traveling circus after being involved in the death of the ringmaster’s wife. As he slowly begins to thin into nothing, he must find a way to stop the curse- before he disappears completely. You can also check out Mama, Andy Muschietti’s big film before taking on the It remake in 2017. It’s about two children found 5 years after going missing in the local woods, who are followed by a maternal figure that will do anything to protect them. Guillermo del Toro also his hand in there, so you know the creature is a work of art.
What’s your favorite tale of vengeance? Let me know! Shoot me a message, email, carrier pigeon, smoke signal- whatever. But if you’re going to call me, call me after 8pm. ‘Cause I don’t have minutes right now.
Until next time…
-M