Mapping The Interior by Stephen Graham Jones

Extremely happy I could finally fit in some thematic reading for National Native American Heritage Month, especially with Emily beating me to it with her terrific review of the Turtle Island cookbook!

And in a not insignificant way, Mapping The Interior reminded me very much of a shorter, scarier and way darker version of one of my favorite books by a Native American writer, Tommy Orange’s There There (tho MtI was published in its original form the year before TT. This review is of the latest edition of MtI, published earlier this year.) Both books share in common a wonderfully sprawling presentation of time and the experience of life as a series of connections, tho MtI injects the element of supernatural horror for an even more heart-wrenching take on family ties and generational trauma.

Junior lives with his mom and younger brother Dino in a modular home on the flatlands. Mom moved them there because she said she wanted a better life for them than they could find on the reservation, where Junior’s father tragically died not long before Mom packed them up and left. Despite her best intentions and efforts tho, life is still hard for their small family of three. Dino has a learning disability and is failing to thrive, tho Junior does everything he can to protect his little brother from bullies on the bus and at school.

When Junior spies a shadowy figure moving through their home at night, he’s convinced that it’s their dead father. But how did their dad get here, all these miles away from the rez, in a place he’s never seen before? Perhaps more importantly, what does he want with them now?

This book is a series of sucker punches that’ll leave you emotionally reeling, as you grieve for Junior and Dino and what they go through. It’s a book of pain and desperation and grief, and I was completely unprepared for an ending that seemed as inescapable as the tide. Stephen Graham Jones is a master of story and concept, and my heart still hurts thinking about how this book feels less like fiction than a true chronicle of deeds kept in the shadows.

I’m not sure if the relative roughness of the novella’s construction is thus deliberate or merely a hallmark of this work’s place in the earlier part of the author’s canon. There are segments that could have used more writing, transitions that could have been a little more fleshed out, and while I usually attach caveats when saying “more please” recently, I really have no other notes. This was a terrific story, and could have just used a little more shaping to make it a five-star read for me.

If you want a quick read in honor of NNAHM, I cannot recommend this horror novella highly enough. If horror isn’t your thing, you can also explore the Native American tag on this site for other titles we recommend.

Mapping The Interior by Stephen Graham Jones was published April 29 2025 by Tor Nightfire and is available from all good booksellers, including