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On the Savage Side: A Novel

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Arrives Sep 25 – Sep 30
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Description

Six women—mothers, daughters, sisters—gone missing. Inspired by the unsolved murders of the Chillicothe Six, this harrowing novel tells the story of two sisters, both of whom could be the next victims, from the internationally best-selling author of Betty."Capture[s] what goes horribly wrong when women don’t fit a customary victim profile...McDaniel artfully evokes each facet of their common humanity, the sinuous landscape, and defiant community in the face of evil."—Oprah DailyArcade and Daffodil are twins born one minute apart. With their fiery red hair and thirst for escape, they form an unbreakable bond nurtured by their grandmother’s stories. Together, they disappear into their imaginations and forge a world all their own. But what the two sisters can’t escape are the generational ghosts that haunt their family. Growing up in the shadow of their rural Ohio town, the sisters cling tightly to one another. Years later, Arcade wrestles with the memories of her early life, just as a local woman is discovered drowned in the river. Soon, more bodies are found. As her friends disappear around her, Arcade is forced to reckon with the past while the killer circles closer. Arcade’s promise to keep herself and her sister safe becomes increasingly desperate and the powerful riptide of the savage side becomes more difficult to survive. Drawing from the true story of women killed in Chillicothe, Ohio, acclaimed novelist and poet Tiffany McDaniel has written a moving literary testament and fearless elegy for missing women everywhere. Read more

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If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is: Sep 25 – Sep 30

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Top Amazon Reviews


  • A must read
“In life, there is a savage side and a beautiful side.” What can I even say to describe this book? It was haunting. Stunning. Eerie. Moving. Brutal. Atmospheric. Raw. Poetic. And an absolute must read. Loosely based on the serial murders of six women in Ohio, this book follows a group of friends, including two twin sisters, as they grapple with the harsh reality and ravages of addiction and poverty. The story alternates between their past as children and the present as young women. During present day, women are going missing and being killed while police turn a blind eye as they deem the women unworthy of investigation. Exceptionally well-written and captivating from start to finish, On The Savage Side is a heartbreaking narrative of generational trauma, violence against women, dependence and addiction. Reading this book was like being lost at sea and waiting for breaks in the waves to get air. Just as I felt I was catching my breath, another wave crashed and I was taken undertow. The ending and final twist had me in tears and broke me apart. I listened to this on audio, but halfway through I changed to doing both the book with audio. Although the audio was phenomenal, I highly recommend the physical book (+/- audio) as there are drawings/diagrams in the book! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2023 by Morgan G

  • dark, haunting and sad
This one was dark and haunting. On the Savage Side was intense, while I didn't really want to continue reading it, I couldn't stop my eyes from flitting to the next page.
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2025 by Alix Maza

  • Savage!! But SO GOOD!!
THIS BOOK! Holy Scott Moly! I have delayed writing this review because this book is “Savage”! Based on the Chillicothe Six that were murdered in Ohio. (I have not looked up information regarding these women, due to my book hangover.) Arcade and Daffodil (Arc and Daffy) are twins, born to addict parents, living in poverty and hearing stories and tales from their Mamaw Milkweed. Life was hard and its no wonder that they ended up being ensnared by the heroin addictive lifestyle they shared with their aunt and mother. This book is brutal. It’s haunting. It is very poetic and beautiful. Possibly, a bit over the top. However, in my opinion, the author took a ‘savage’ situation and wrote with a delicate and alluring pen. It was as addicting as the enslavement of the girl's drug habit. When the first girl was found in the river, Arc knew that her and her sister would be victims as well…it was just a matter of time. Told from Arc’s perspective, this was such a sad story. The story is not only about addiction, but emotional, physical and mental abuse. The twins just craved the love, support and security of a mother. This was our March book club read. This one will sit with me for quite some time and there will be a lot to unpack and discuss at our meeting. **IF YOU DECIDE TO READ THIS BOOK….be warned. It has a lot of triggers. It’s difficult and barbarous! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2023 by Lisa de Leon

  • Too poetic, too beautiful
Call me a philistine, but I had several major issues with "On the Savage Side." First, though, let me say that I did love the first third or so. The depiction of the twin girls all but raising themselves in a house—not a household—occupied by addicts was both lyrical and painful, and their relationship with their grandmother a lone, vital, glowing hope spot. In fact, the prose throughout was beautiful and poetic, even when describing the ugliest of events. And that is one of my problems with this book. Everything was described in heightened, metaphor-laden prose, so that well before the end virtually nothing stood out as special. And some of the language, to this cynical reader who has seen firsthand the damage of addiction, felt ridiculous. Calling shooting up smack "wearing crowns"? And having not just the first-person narrator but all her addict companions using the same overblown phrases? Having all the characters indulge in flights-of-fancy monologues? And on the few occasions when more common language was used, it came across as clunky. Do addicts really say "injecting" rather than "shooting up" or "mainlining" nowadays? Then there were the dual denouements. Both came across as copouts to me, akin to what one might see in Creative Writing 101. I get that "On the Savage Side" is meant to be, in the publisher's words, "a moving literary testament and fearless elegy for missing women everywhere." But maybe, instead of gussying up the reality of these missing women's lives, it had been presented, at least at times, in a less fanciful, "look at me, I'm poetic" style, this would have done the Chillicothe Six who inspired the book greater justice. Dressing up ugliness isn't fearless; examining it in its unvarnished form is braver. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2023 by SC

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