(pb; 1981)
From the back cover
“The Tribe follows a
group of Jewish people who not only survive the concentration camps but thrive.
Their secret follows them to modern-day Brooklyn, where they continue their
relationship and keep their deadly cabal until one day a new threat arrives.
“Drawing on Jewish mythology
and folklore, the novel also combines well-drawn characters and police
procedurals to create a memorable and humane horror novel.”
Review
Tribe is an
excellent, character-centric, unexpectedly sensitive (in a good way) novel that
is as much cultural drama as it is horror and police procedural. It’s sensitive
in that it digs deep, in a respectful way, into the Judaism and its within-the-faith
cabal, as well its characters, few of which could be called truly, wholly evil
or wholly good. It is also restrained for a horror novel, in that Wood masterfully
keeps the “monster” of the work in the shadows, not only adding to the
psychological truths of the its collective self, but making it truly scary when
its is fully shown (and not just described by characters) in the briefly gory climax.
Tribe is
not only one of the best horror novels I’ve revisited this year (I read it
decades ago), but one of my all-time favorite horror reads as well, one worth owning,
for its themes of dark-hearted humanity, well-written characters and overall
excellent writing.
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