Holy shit. There are books and then there are BOOKS. Bacchanal was fucking fantastic. Set in the deep south and traveling through the Dust Bowl in the 1930’s, Bacchanal is the story of Eliza Meeks, a black girl who joins the Bacchanal Carnival to escape her life as an odd and desperate orphan.
Henry expertly delivers the desperation of the 1930’s, the sense of belonging and loyalty carnies have to one another, the racial tensions and an incredibly well done dose of magic. Unlike most authors who use magic to write themselves out of a corner in their plot, Henry wields her character’s magic in a way that makes it believable. Probably one of my favorite books of the year, I would highly recommend Bacchanal. This was a fantastic book to follow up West with Giraffes.
Hops & Lit 