NOWHERE, a horror debut by Allison Gunn, has a riveting and complicated protagonist in police chief Rachel Kennan. She is filled with grief over her son dying a year ago in addition to having a chip on her shoulder after separating from her violent husband and coming out as gay in a small town. I feel like there are plenty of male characters with some rage in them like Rachel, and I was disappointed when fellow reviewers found Rachel so dislikeable that it impeded their enjoyment of the novel. In contrast, I love how complicated Rachel is. 

My interest waned when it came to the disturbing crime and subsequent disappearances that affected the town. I know THAT was the main gist of the story, but I wanted to get back to the relationship dynamics between Rachel and all the other characters, especially Finn.

This novel is intense, and it could very well be that I wasn’t in the mood for intense. For the most part, this story reads like you’re watching a Blumhouse movie. You can see all the beats. What gives it more nuance is Rachel’s background, and you, like me, might want that to be explored more in a different genre like literary fiction. 

There is a very personal Author’s Note, and I think it would have worked better at the end of the story than in the beginning of the book. I don’t think I’ve read such a deeply personal Author’s Note before starting a book.  

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review.