This book got its hooks in me right from the first chapter. Those Who Live follows two cousins, Chinle and Mae, who stumble onto a chilling family secret—six baby girls, all born into their family, all dead in infancy, and nobody wants to talk about it. When Mae and Chinle start digging through old diaries and confronting family members, they open a Pandora’s box of dark history, secrets and, let’s just say, not-so-trustworthy narrators. The story is told through a mix of diary entries, interviews, and personal accounts, which gives it a raw, almost documentary feel. But don’t let that fool you, this book is anything but dry. It’s eerie, emotional, and absolutely gripping.

Bonnie MacDougall has this way of making everything feel so personal, like you’re sitting in the room with Mae and Chinle, listening to them argue about who makes the next phone call or watching them lay out their case like true detectives. The dialogue is sharp, and the characters especially Chinle, have real depth. Chinle, with her physical struggles and razor-sharp mind, is one of the most compelling characters I’ve read in a long time. There’s a moment when she starts having visions of an old trauma (was it really an accident, or was she pushed?), and that absolutely floored me. The way MacDougall weaves together past and present makes the tension constant. I couldn’t stop flipping pages.

The mystery itself is layered. One of my favorite parts is when they meet their cousin Maple-Syrup (yes, that’s her real name), an alcoholic with a chip on her shoulder the size of a boulder. She’s got sass for days, and her interactions with Mae had me laughing and cringing at the same time. But she also holds pieces of the truth, and when she finally starts opening up, it’s heartbreaking. The book keeps you guessing. Every family member seems to have a version of the past that doesn’t quite line up. And then there’s Theresa’s diary (wow), which is honestly one of the most disturbing and fascinating pieces of the whole book. It completely shifts the story into something even darker than I was expecting.

By the time I reached the end, I was emotionally wrung out. But I loved it. Those Who Live isn’t just about solving a mystery, it’s about family, trauma, and the weight of unspoken history. Fans of true crime, family sagas with a dark twist, or anything Gillian Flynn-esque will eat this up.

Pages: 298 | ASIN : B0DS9RFGP6