The Unfinished

Avery loves to run, and one morning, when she tires of her usual running loop, she decides to go off the regular trail. When she finds a pond she’s never heard of in the middle of the forest, Avery brings to light an evil presence which has been dormant for years. The people of Crook’s Falls have either forgotten about it or have chosen to ignore it – at their peril. Unfinished business and people have literally come back to haunt them. The water begins to torment Avery and, worse yet, people in town begin to disappear. Can Avery stop the terror she has set in motion?

In her debut novel, Sheryl Isaacs weaves a coming-of-age story with horror, the paranormal, and Indigenous culture and legends. Avery spends time with her native Mohawk elders, hoping their knowledge and advice will guide her. But it seems that, if she follows their teachings, she might save the town while at the same time lose her best friend.

The story is told from the first person point of view, and Avery is a strong protagonist. On occasion, she is a risk-taker and openly concedes that she can be very stubborn. And yet readers also see her feeling quite anxious and insecure at times, overthinking her role and her actions. This dichotomy is what draws readers to her character. Avery’s best friends, Stella and Key, are the rest of a formidable trio. The three have a strong friendship and support each other in any way they can.

One of the themes of the novel is the question of society’s tendency to ignore problems rather than facing them head-on. The Black Water and the hunger it exhibits for more and more victims are more than just a legend. Some people in town know all about it and yet are hesitant to act. Because of the Indigenous background of the book, one thinks of the many murdered and missing Indigenous women and the fact that the rest of society seems content to pretend the tragedy and trauma simply don’t exist.

Isaacs develops an eerie and haunting atmosphere which adds to the setting of the novel. While there are certainly elements of horror, the book is not gory in the way many horror novels are. The author’s build-up of atmosphere depends greatly on repetition, and, in places, I found this slowed down the action of the book and became almost too repetitive to have the desired effect.

It is worth noting that the book is published by Heartdrum, a Native-focused imprint of Harper Collins. Their website features several books, from picture books for small children to young adult novels such as Unfinished. For those who enjoy this novel, there are many more books about Native people from which to choose.