Sapphic Book Review: “Crafting for Sinners” by Jenny Kiefer
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Rating:⭐⭐⭐ - 2.5 out of 5 stars
Format: eBook borrowed from Libby, read on refurbished Kindle Paperwhite (bought on eBay many moons ago)
🌶️ Spice Level: None
[Review also available on GoodReads.]
What to Know About “Crafting for Sinners” by Jenny Kiefer
The Quick & Dirty Reading Details
Religious Horror
Rural Setting (Kentucky)
Small-Town Secrets/Small, Creepy Town
Bisexual Protagonist
Sapphic Romance
Slow-Moving Plot
Cannibalism
Final Girl Trope Adjacent
POTENTIAL TRIGGERS: Homophobia, Body Mutilation, Homicide, Grotesque Descriptions, Sexual Assault (Alluded), Animal Death, Cannibalism, Religious Trauma
You get some religious trauma, and you get some religious trauma, and you…so on and so forth for the rest of existence.
To say “Crafting for Sinners” is a bit triggering for me, may be a bit of an understatement. I think all the other queer kids that grew up in the Bible Belt can probably relate as the religious trauma in this horror novel is overfloweth. So, carry on at your own discretion, and maybe have a weighted blanket and your favorite Chani meditation on the ready.
The Plot of “Crafting for Sinners”
Set in rural Kentucky, the story follows Ruth, our bisexual, diabetic protagonist, who simply wants to borrow (steal) some yarn from the local crafts store run by bigots who recently fired her for being gay. However, the plan goes south when she gets trapped inside without any insulin and is hunted by a group of misogynistic, homophobic zealots that want to sacrifice her. The sapphic horror novel* follows her quest to get back to her partner, Abigail, alive.
What’s the “Crafting for Sinners” Spice Level?
Don’t pick up this sapphic horror novel expecting much in terms of spiciness. There are a few scenes of cozy romance between the protagonist and her girlfriend, but it’s more about the emotional connection than any physical intimacy. Those parts are more sweet than spicy.
Spice Level: None
“Crafting for Sinners” Book Review
My Thoughts on Jenny Kiefer’s Sapphic Religious Horror Novel
People/communities weaponizing religion against the LGBTQIA+ community is not new, and many of us that grew up in the Bible Belt in the U.S. (shoutout to my fellow Ozarks lezzies!) have experienced it, whether we were individually targeted or not. Jenny Keifer’s novel puts a magnifying glass on that shared experience, forcing readers to live it, too, through Ruth’s journey to great effect.
Trudging Through Religious Trauma, Poor Dialogue, and Challenging Transitions
However, if you’re in the aforementioned group of people that grew up queer in rural America, then the length at which the protagonist trudges through the sludge of murderous homophobia can become a bit overwhelming. Part of the problem is that the pace of the plot is so incredibly slow that the trauma on the page starts to linger, just like in real life.
A major factor of this pacing issue is the dialogue. To be frank, it’s not executed well. It doesn’t hit or sound realistic, so it’s distracting at best, but there’s also so much of it, that it drags scenes on that could otherwise flow well if they remained shorter without the attempt at (I suspect) extending for word count.
“‘Oh, wait, I know who you are!’ He was suddenly giddy, jumping up and down, his little feet stomping the weeds back into the earth. ‘You’re her! You’re the one Daddy said would save everyone! By dying!’ Before Ruth’s muggy brain could process the child’s glee, he was screaming for his mother, raising hell at the top of his little lungs, a piercing shriek Ruth never would have imagined could come from something so tiny. ‘You motherfucker,’ she whispered.”
Another challenge in the work is the transitions. The horror novel doesn’t easily flow from scene to scene, chapter to chapter, with the text becoming clunky and wordy enough that it can pulls the reader’s mind away from the page to focus on the unnaturalness of it. It’s almost as if the story was written in shorts and then tied together.
Descriptive Gore Worthy of Your Nightmares
The dialogue and pacing challenges are such a shame because some of the writing in “Crafting for Sinner” is five-star. The descriptions and details in certain scenes, especially those including gore, are incredibly vivid and completely immersive. There were even a few scenes that my jaw literally dropped as the text held no punches when it came to the carnage of the injuries sustained:
“His snapped vein flopped over his cheek like a downed power line. The remnants of eyeball and goop had already started to dry in a chunky brown rivulet.”
Those parts of the book kept my attention and helped me push through the more difficult parts.
Ruined a Solid Base With Weak & Wordy Elements
Overall, wordiness and pace overshadow some great descriptive writing and do a disservice to an interesting theme and storyline. The novel could’ve easily been cut down to a novella, and then I think it would be able to garner the reception it deserves based on the quality presented at the root of the work.
Additionally, the cover is exceptional and deserves a nod of appreciation. One of my favorites to date, and it’s what initially drew me to the novel.
Would I Recommend: No.
Would I Re-Read: No, but I'd love to see what the author comes up with in the future, as their writing is excellent.
Have you read it yet? I'd LOVE to know your thoughts! Drop me a line on Instagram, and lmk if you agree with my review or not. If it's the latter, I promise I won't take it personally! [That's a lie, I totally will. :) ]
Buy “Crafting for Sinners” by Jenny Kiefer
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Thanks for sticking around to the end of my book review! If you're interested in reading this sapphic novel for yourself, you can grab a copy via my affiliate link on Bookshop.org*.
Bookshop.org: Buy “Crafting for Sinners” on Bookshop.org* to support independent bookstores.
Reading Aesthetic: “Crafting for Sinners”
Want even more “Crafting for Sinners”? As a zine and collage fanatic, I can’t help but create an artistic visual element for each of my book reviews. See the full post >> Reading Moodboard “Crafting for Sinners”.
Lesbian Book Quotes: "Crafting for Sinners” by Jenny Kiefer
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