"The Redemption Center is Closed on Sundays" By Andrea Hairston: Review/Giveaway

Review by Autumn Trapani

The Redemption Center is Closed on Sundays is a mystical, universe-hopping tale involving a cast of quirky characters and one very unusual dog.

The dog, Oona, is a St. Berdoodle––a St. Bernard and poodle mix. Oona is able to travel through dimensions at will, and in addition to the people she meets at the redemption center, she is also searching for her “carnival family,” who she lost track of while traveling between dimensions. It is during one of these searches that she locates a dead body in a recycling bin and adds searching for the killer to her adventures. She is assisted in this by a group of locals, including Paula, a cleaner; An’qwenique, a local podcaster; and Ralph, a garbageman and recycler. 

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Image Source Tor Books

I found this book to be quite intriguing. The first third of the story jumps between “today” and “yesterday,” and includes stream of consciousness impressions on events from the point of view of either Paula or An’qwenique. To be honest, I found this confusing at times, even though the author provided chapter titles that made it clear which character’s point of view was in each chapter. Paying attention to the time frame at the beginning did help. My favorite chapters in this section were the ones told from Oona’s point of view. There was something almost pure about them, and I loved the way the author kept mentioning Oona noticing how people smelled––happy, sad, or frightened.

After the body was discovered, the author switched to a more linear storytelling style, which I found easier to follow. The world inhabited by these characters is one affected by climate change, and recycling is at the forefront of many people’s lives, as is music and art. There were many African mythological figures and deities incorporated in the story. While I am not familiar with many of them, I found them interesting and looked a few of them up. Despite my limited knowledge, I enjoyed the story a great deal. The obvious sense of community and people working together to create something bigger than individuals made the somewhat confusing timeline portion of the story worth the ride.

Readers who enjoy mythical and multi-dimensional stories will love this. And who doesn’t love a story with a universe-hopping dog detective?

To enter to win a copy of The Redemption Center is Closed on Sundays, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "redemption,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen July 18, 2026. US residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. If entering via comment please include your email address so we can contact you. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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Autumn Trapani is an avid reader and enjoys letting others know about good books through her reviews. When not reviewing, you can find her working as a property manager – although she always has her nose in a book at lunchtime! Autumn lives in Portland, OR with her husband and two cats.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.