Sacrificial Animals tells the story of a man who grew up on a farm, Stag's Crossing, with his father and brother. His father was a strict man who was hard to please. Our narrator Nick was the second son, too much like his mother, and a disappointment to his father. His mother died in childbirth leaving him alone with his father who was unable to show his love for his children and frequently beat them. Their tasks on the farm took an emotional toll on Nick who had a soft heart like his mother and struggled to kill animals the way his father and brother could. As a teen, Nick dealt with a fox that kept infiltrating the hen house and killing his chickens, but Nick struggled with this fox too. His soft heart made him weak in the eyes of his father. This of course is the past which the reader gets flashbacks to throughout the book.
In the present, Nick has moved away from Stag's Crossing when his father calls him to tell him he is dying. He tells Nick he must come back and he must call his brother to make him come back, too. Joshua, the firstborn, was disowned by his father when he brought home his Asian wife. His father was against this woman who he saw as a stranger infiltrating their home. Nick calls Joshua and although Joshua refuses to return home, Nick knows he will.
Nick and Joshua's wife, Emelia fly home first, meeting at the airport and driving home together. Nick has had an infatuation with Emelia since he first met her at her wedding. Something about her was deeply appealing to him. When they return to Stag's Crossing, Nick's father acts as if he never had any objection to Emelia. The longer Nick spends time with Emelia, the more his interest turns into an obsession.
While reading this book, I was deeply drawn in. The writing was very magnetic and had me coming back for more. The actual story I didn't find all that engaging. For a horror book, it just didn't strike the sense of dread I think it intended. I wasn't expecting jump scares, but I think I was supposed to get a daunting realization that something was just deeply wrong with this family and I just didn't. Even the "twist" at the end was not a shock to me. However, the quality of the writing was wonderful. I could probably read this author's grocery lists or daily routine and I still want more. Perhaps I wasn't reading it as intellectually as I was supposed to and maybe that's why I missed the horror aspect of the story. Don't get me wrong, the story itself was interesting enough, but it just wasn't what did it for me. I think if you like more of an intellectual horror, this is a book you would enjoy, or if you just like quality writing.
As for content warnings, there is sexual content, animal violence, description of animal injury, child abuse, parent becoming ill, parent death, baby death, and more. Please be aware before reading.
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