Cherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow is a bone-chilling social horror novel that kept me reading into the night. The comparisons to Get Out and My Sister, the Serial Killer, are entirely apt.
Synopsis
When her parents fall into financial trouble, they decide it’s best that Farrah stay with the wealthy and white Whitman family. The Whitmans adopted Cherish when she was a baby. Farrah often calls Cherish White Girl Spoiled because her parents humour her to no end.
Farrah Turner is obsessed with control. She analyzes every word and action directed at her. Farrah calculates her every action to keep everyone under her thumb. She lets her mask down for no one, including her best friend, Cherish Whitman, whom she loves as much as she hates.
Being thrust into this position without consultation, Farrah feels the need to reassert her coveted control over the situation. She decides it would be better to become part of the Whitman household than join her family on their new trajectory. It’s not long before things start getting weird and terrifying, and Farrah has to wonder who is actually in control.
Note: I’d recommend not reading the book’s synopsis because it reveals most of what transpires.
Review of Cherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow
This book examines the inequalities and intersectionality of race and class.
The first half is pretty slow and is very introspective. I found Farrah’s head to be a dark and joyless place.
While most of the characters were unlikeable, they all had enough depth to make them thoroughly compelling. The way the author was able to up the threatening atmosphere while simultaneously keeping some characters oblivious to it was just excellent.
This book is not for the faint of heart. Around the midpoint, it all gets wild and grisly, and the tension does not let up.
I look forward to reading more from the author. I see there is a nice backlist to explore.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Expected Publication: 08 February 2022
Thank you to Dutton for providing an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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I’ve decided to read more horror Thrillers this year, so I’m excited to read this one!
That sounds like a good plan to me!