Review by Booklist Review
When Tansy and her new husband, Guy, visited the picturesque town of Bellinas, California, they decided to do what many jaded New Yorkers had done before them and move west. Their connection to the town is Guy's wealthy cousin, Mia, and her husband, Manny, who themselves traded the glamour of modeling and the fame of tech entrepreneurship for the pleasures of coastal living. Tansy and Guy move into a guesthouse on Mia and Manny's palatial estate and soon realize that the magnetic chemistry of their hosts is actually a signal for something stronger and much more sinister. Jones (Low Country, 2021) explores the impact of feigned powerlessness as readers question Tansy's initial reluctance to, and eventual acceptance of, her picture-perfect new community. The novel establishes a sense of urgency up front, before Tansy retells the events of the preceding weeks at her own pace. Fans of Kate Weinberg's The Truants (2020) and Swan Huntley's The Goddesses (2017) will enjoy Jones' deliberate pacing, lyrical style, and appreciation for many kinds of inspiration.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Jones (Low Country: A Memoir) conjures a Northern California cult in her beautiful and eerie debut novel. The story takes the form of a written statement by Constance "Tansy" Black, who's locked herself into a schoolhouse in the unincorporated coastal village of Bellinas to document how her husband, Guy, came to die there not long after the couple arrived from New York City. Her account begins with Guy announcing he'd finally like to have a child, Tansy's greatest wish, while on a visit to Bellinas in June, and talking her into staying there with him at his cousin Mia's guest house. When the couple return the following month, they're welcomed warmly by Mia's wellness influencer husband, Manny, and initiated as members of his "high-vibe" Bohemian Club. The next morning, Tansy can't remember what happened at the ceremony. It turns out life in Bellinas is far from idyllic: Mia warns Tansy not to go into the forest alone; her relationship with Guy becomes strained after he reneges on their plans to have children; and she feels taunted by the strong nightly winds that cause her to have insomnia and nausea. By late August, while on a drive outside town, Tansy remembers that Manny raped her during the initiation. Back in Bellinas, she discovers that Mia and the other women are witches who can manipulate the wind. Jones's lyrical yet ominous prose affects a bewitching vibe of its own ("Don't believe those who say that the fog is just fog... that the thunderheads worn by nearby mountain peaks are merely weather"). Readers will find this haunting tale is tough to shake. Agent: Stephanie Delman, Trellis Literary. (May)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Tansy Black and her husband, Guy, are newly arrived in Bellinas, an idyllic Northern California town, having left New York behind. Invited into the coastal oasis by Guy's cousin Mia, once a famous model, and Manny, her tech-mogul husband, they find a reclusive, spiritual community of creatives dedicated to pursuing wellness. But underneath the impeccable facade of Bellinas' lush gardens, stunning architecture, and perfect climate lies a web of deceit that Tansy can't stop herself from trying to unravel. Guy can't understand Tansy's misgivings, and as their relationship begins to disintegrate, Tansy attempts to silence her qualms and recommit to the Bellinas way of life. She joins the disciplelike group Mia and Manny have assembled for long dinners and beach bonfires, accompanies the women in their daily rituals and various art practices, and enjoys the company of their children even as she desperately yearns for her own. She never succumbs to the group's cultish devotion to Manny, though; she finds him threatening and dishonest. The cynical, knowing tone of Tansy's narration speaks to the instinct women have for danger--those suspicions that persist despite reassurance: "Women are taught to listen to everyone except themselves." Her earlier study of ancient cultures enables her to draw parallels between her situation and the women of classical mythology, and Jones skillfully weaves together her contemporary tale and myriad myths. Silenced, abused, disbelieved, Tansy finds herself consumed by rage. When she stumbles on the shocking truth one day in the woods, her eyes are opened to the bargain the women of Bellinas have made, and the secret power they wield. Jones has authored a fierce, timely indictment of movements masquerading as enlightenment, cautioning women especially against things that seem too good to be true. A rich, piercing novel that cries out for women to trust themselves above all others. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
