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So with that in mind, let me start with my review and the critiques. I start with "Presentation," and I'm labeling this where I haven't been doing that so much recently. The cover does no justice for this book. This is a serious subject matter book. It doesn't need a cartoon cover. The cover gave me the impression I was in for a Halloween like a good time. That is not this book, nor should anyone ever think that about this book.
My second critique is under the "Structure" section. This book has the structure of a children's book. I don't think this book is intended for children. I do think it's YA. As an example of why I don't think this is a children's book, one of the many intense subject matters in the tale involves miscarriages and stillbirths. As someone who has had to have that conversation with a child, I'm very sure this book is not intended for a child to read. Thus my critique is, why make a cover and why make a book structure, like an early reader chapter book, when the intensity and subject matter is for an older reader? It came across as somewhat jarring to me.
Okay, onto what I liked about this book. First and foremost, the narrator was terrific. They had a lovely voice; it was soothing and able to do a massive amount of accents and genders, and I found it comforting, and I felt as though I was listening to an ensemble of voices. So much so that, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure what pronouns to use for Mike, the narrator. I don't want to presume anything to use "They/Them" respectfully. I hope that's okay.
Next, another golden bit of this book is the historical drama that plays out in the guise of this book. Some INTENSE-heavy subject matters are going on in the narrative. So much so, these are still politically and culturally talking points to this day, and I loved how well they were explained in bite-sized pieces to the historical significance. But with that said, and going to my critique, I still don't think this is for a child. I genuinely wish the cover had been more mature for the subject matter matching it. I would have gone into the book with a different mindset.
Lastly, I loved the story's pacing, and I felt that it was a lot more melancholy than initially leading to believe. With that in mind, despite the intense subject matter, this book is well-outlined.
So thus, to score, I give "The Gravedigger" by Rebecca Bischoff a score of 82/100, which is a 4-star review on Goodreads, and NetGalley, and my blog. Again, my friends, this is an exciting story. I do recommend it if you love YA and you like deep, significant historical drama. But also, this isn't a kids' book, don't let the little ones listen to this until you have first.
