Shivaree
In 1953, at the end of the Korean War, army nurse Corinne Ford arrives by train at the farming town of Conroy, Mississippi, instead of returning home to California. Surprised that her fiancé, Elijah Dunne, is not at the station as promised, she accepts the awaiting chauffeur’s information that Elijah is busy on the family farm. In Korea, injured PFC Elijah had ended up in a MASH unit, and Corinne nursed him back to health. Elijah proposed marriage, and Corinne accepted him, succumbing to his country boy charm. Also, other reasons prevented her from returning to San Francisco. While Elijah’s mother and father are indifferent to her, Corinne is perturbed when Elijah welcomes her with only a handshake and a peck on the cheek. Elijah is traumatized not only from the war but also from the loss of his past love, Ruby, who died mysteriously. When unexplained murders occur, as if by a supernatural force, it appears that Ruby is back from the grave to seek vengeance upon the unsavory town folks and give Elijah a grand shivaree.
An accomplished author, Horn has done a marvelous job of writing this novel, his new venture into Southern Gothic fiction. The detailed descriptions of the settings, the heat, the smells, and the accented dialogue take us into the sleepy Deep South town. We see life just as it was in the 1950s, with its racial prejudice, farming life, buried family secrets, devious characters, corrupt officials including a domineering “judge,” and the ever-present KKK. How outspoken Corinne, a stranger in town expecting to start a quiet new life, manages to survive in these nightmarish surroundings makes for a captivating read. Supernatural Gothic elements give a sharp edge to the story, which, as appropriately noted by the author, some readers may find disturbing.
