As I sit here, staring at my screen, I am still at a loss as to where to begin with We Like It Cherry. It was that good. I read it weeks ago and it still is on my mind. We Like It Cherry has so may layers to unpack and dissect. How far would you go for a chance at fame? A chance to do what no one else has done? How far would you go … for love? I only have so much space, but as always, let’s talk about it.
We Like It Cherry follows Ezra, a documentarian, and Stu, his cameraman, along with a couple of members of support crew. Ezra hosts an Indigenous-themed show and is approached at an event he is attending and covering for an upcoming episode. He is then invited to film a reclusive and never-before documented tribe named the Winoquin in the icy, remote Arctic. There is an upcoming ritual they want to be recorded and shared with the world. Seeing the opportunity to revitalize his material, Ezra accepts.
During the course of the story, we have a chance to glimpse into the mind of Ezra, who is of Indigenous decent. He feels that even among Native American cultures, all tribes are stereotyped and homogenized into one. He feels the ties to the past and unique intricacies of different tribes slowly getting lost and further away from the present after each generation. That his heritage is one big gimmick. Ezra is also in a secret relationship with his cameraman, Stu, which brings him a lot of inner turmoil and struggle with self identity and fulfillment.
Once the crew arrive in the Arctic, they are greeted by their interpreter, who is the same person who approached Ezra to come record the Winoquin ritual. They are then introduced to the village members and elders. None of them, except the interpreter, can speak English. Or so they believe, until during a really fun dinner (I am being sarcastic) they hear one of the elders say “we like it cherry”. Well, from there things start to … happen, and quickly escalate at a breakneck pace into the things nightmares are made of. They are not there to film the ritual … they ARE the ritual. What ritual? Why are they needed? What do they like cherry? All your questions will be answered throughout the course of the story.
We Like It Cherry, at its most basic, is an unflinching horror story of survival. But, it is also much more than that. It has deep themes of the supernatural, cultural conflict, sense of self and the shame that can accompany these complicated emotions. Set amid an Arctic background, you can almost see your breath as you read this perilous and horrifying story. The atmosphere is unmatched. You can feel the subzero temperatures seep into your very bones as you read this harrowing tale. We also examine the struggle Ezra has with being open about he and Stu’s romantic relationship, which was portrayed with balance and care. We Like It Cherry does have its fair share of graphic gore, Cannibal Holocaust-style, so as always, be responsible with your own consumption.
I don’t often get personal but this article being solely my opinion, I must say, I have not read much more accurate descriptions of being of Indigenous descent. In the style of Stephen Graham Jones, Jacy not only touches on this subject, he pulls back the veil. I often find it difficult not to feel frustration at seeing my heritage and culture ground down into mere dust of what it really is. Being of Native American descent, that aspect of the story resonated with me much more than it may to other readers.
However, more than that detail, this is an excellently written, effective and compelling nightmare fuel. The increasing dread and tension get dialed up to a fever pitch and We Like It Cherry does not let you go until after the shocking epilogue. I definitely recommend picking this one up! Thank you so much to Tenebrous Press for sending me an ARC. You can pick this book up when it publishes August 05, 2025, directly from the publisher.
Jacy Morris was born in 1979 in Richmond, Virginia. At the age of ten he was transplanted to Portland, Oregon, where he developed a love for punk rock, horror movies, and writing, all three of which tend to find their way into his writing. Under the pseudonym The Vocabulariast, he was the writer/owner/CEO of the website MovieCynics.com (2007-2014). He graduated from Portland State University with a Masters in Education. He has been an English and social studies teacher in Portland, Oregon since 2005. He has written several books, including the This Rotten World series, The Enemies of our Ancestors series, The Drop, Killing the Cult, The Abbey and The Pied Piper of Hamelin. He is currently working on a new series entitled One Night Stand at the End of the World. The Abbey was his first book under his real name.
Image courtesy of Tenebrous Press
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