Book Review : Jessica Leonard - Antioch (2020)
I’ve read a lot of bad novels over the las two years. They each had something in common: they were trying way too hard to convey important ideas. So hard, the characters who inhabited them became paper-thin vessels without a personality of their own. It’s a common mistake authors make in these times where important ideological battles are going on. You can’t convey the importance of an idea without showing how it affects real, lifelike characters.
Here’s someone who did it right. Jessica Leonard’s debut novel Antioch is way more than simply a killer psychological horror novel, although it is that too. It is the type of book you badger everyone you know into reading.
Antioch tells the story of Bess Jackson, a young woman who is obsessed with her short wave radio and Amelia Earhart conspiracy theories. A serial killer is currently wreaking havoc in her small town, claiming six young women’s lives in gruesome manner. One night, Bess receives a mysterious transmission on her radio, which leads her to believe a seventh victim has been abducted. She begins investigating before anyone else and against everybody’s advice.
What makes Antioch such an unforgettable experience is how pervasive its ideas are. It’s a novel about sexual violence. The plot revolves around hideous sex crimes, but that violence echoes through every interaction in Bess’ life like a goddamn curse. Other characters are trying to control her, showing unannounced at her house, refuse to take no for an answer. Mostly male characters, but not exclusively. Bess’ whole reality conspires against her and denies her agency.
Remember how pessimist philosophy echoed through every interaction of the first season of True Detective? Antioch is constructed in a similar way, except that it explores the ravages of sexual violence instead. Not only Jessica Leonard writes it with great nuance and empathy, but she also does not turn her male character into sex demons and instead focuses on seemingly harmless behaviors which women have to fend off all the fucking time.
It works so much better than if Jessica Leonard would’ve written grisly rape scenes and whatnot. The way Antioch is written shows how oppressive and controlling other people’s desire can be if you don’t have any physical or psychological leverage against it. It covers a broad spectrum of sexual violence. I was sometimes physically exhausted myself after reading long dialogue sequences where a male character is trying to coerce his way inside Bess house.
The worse part is that it often works.
I have not picked apart the plot of Antioch in this review for two reasons: 1) other reviewers will do it and 2) I believe it takes the backseat to the overall thematic and ideological direction of the novel. Antioch explores the ravages of sexual violence in such a sweeping, exhaustive and yet understated way that I couldn’t think about anything else after finishing it. The plot and characters are great in a conventional way, but serve a higher purpose here.
After long psychological deliberations, I am ready to declare that Antioch is the best novel I’ve read in 2020, so far. I originally picked it up because a blurb compared it seminal horror movie Session 9 (which is accurate), but I love it for the same reason that I love True Detective: it is fiercely committed to its themes, which it explores atypically. I haven’t been this enthusiastic about a debut novel for some time. Mrs. Leonard, please consider me a fan from now on.
8.8/10
