I've read quite a few mysteries set in swamps that gave me a much better appreciation for the heavy, still air and stagnant pools of algae-crusted water. While Titus goes into the general description of the bridges and the water as they approach the reserve, it's more the affection of an alligator fan and casual visitor than a person that knows the biology and plants of the swamp. I had more of a feel for the idiosyncrasies of the town than the swamp. Setting was decent, but didn't really immerse me in the swamp until the last quarter. He didn't like how he felt about that feeling." "He had a feeling that much of his forseeable future would be dedicated to keeping his mouth shut. Dialogue occasionally feels awkward but actually quite real. Still, they were by far my favorite characters. The elderly godmothers were the most entertaining, but felt a little to contrived and cryptic at times. Cameron, the seventeen year-old, is basically a shallow, developmentally younger boy.
The honeymooners, Titus and Melissa, are a mess.
Although the cast was often interesting, one of the challenges for me is that they were difficult to care about, as almost all of them were ethically challenged. Still, it was occasionally diverting.Ĭharacterization was decent. In fact, in the end notes, Priest notes that it was written around the time of a cross-country move and selling a house, and I can't help but feel quality was sacrificed.
I read an advance reader copy, and parts of it still felt like a draft.
Because the tone between the two stories feels so different, it almost feels like two books in one. The other plot surrounds a squabbling honeymooning couple headed to a cabin in the Okefenokee swamp, who experience something surreal as they cross a strange bridge. One story begins with a bored seventeen-year-old boy, Cameron, his elderly witchy godmothers and the restless feeling of wanting change. With a Southern Gothic atmosphere, it has a dual plot line that only intersects near the end. Loosely billed as 'horror,' I don't think that The Toll earns the genre.
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