Undead Folk by Katherine Silva

Undead Folk is a beautifully crafted little novella.

Before I get too far into this review, I’m going to piss a few people off, (maybe). I don’t really have any beefs with this story, but I’m giving it 4/5 stars.

My problem (and I recognize that it is my problem), is that I haven’t read many novellas, and there’s a reason for that. I won’t use the phrase ‘cop out’, because it feels disrespectful, but they always seem like a way to write a story without having to flesh out the dirty bits. As an author, I can see that that’s also the beautiful thing about shorter fictions. You can get right to the fun parts. It just feel like a slightly lower bar than a full novel, somehow.

So Undead Folk doesn’t explore the apocalypse that preceded it. I don’t think we know where they are. It doesn’t examine the magic Ella uses, or how she learned it or why. But you know what? It doesn’t have to. The story feels complete as it is. We get enough of an explanation to keep moving, to following along the railroad tracks, kicking up gravel and worrying about what kind of trouble Ella and her animal companion will get into next.

Something I almost never see in reviews is mention of the writing style. Silva’s prose is absolutely lovely. The first few pages felt a little thesaurus heavy, possibly a little too poetic for my liking, but it quickly thinned out and became a wonderful merging of believable dialogue and aptly worded descriptors. She does use the right word in the right place, and I commend her, because it may sound silly, but it’s a rarity.

Undead Folk’s focus may be an exploration of grief, and it does that well, but it also touches on what it’s like to be ‘other’. These two experiences come together to create a truly believable character. Silva exposes Ella’s trauma and how it can rear its head in shocking ways, while also giving us insight on her sensitivities. The juxtaposition of what Ella is willing to do with the emotions she’s so desperately trying to smother, make her feel like a real person. It’s rich character building like that, that I truly appreciate. She didn’t need a 300 page build up. Eh-hem.

As I said, I’m giving Undead Folk four stars, but it’s a strong, definitely-recommend-this-to-readers-of-novellas-without-question, four. Now Ms. Silva, I’m off to pick up one of your novels.