Horrid by Katrina Leno | Book Review

Horrid by Katrina Leno
Published by Little, Brown, 2020
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

I very rarely pick up YA books these days, but this one intrigued me enough to consider giving it a shot. On the whole, I’m glad I did; its slower, more character focussed approach to horror allowing it to stand out in an otherwise saturated genre.

The story opens following the sudden death of Jane’s father. Facing financial strain, and hoping to escape their grief, she and her mother are forced to sell their house in California and relocate to North Manor; a run down, inherited property in rural Maine. It’s clear that Jane’s mother never wanted to return to her childhood home, and as strange goings on begin to occur, and whispers of a dark past grow ever more apparent, it soon becomes clear why.

The novel is chiefly concerned with mental health, both the impact of grief and the influence of inherited, generational trauma. It is definitely at its strongest when it leans into these more cerebral elements, embracing the ambiguity of true horror versus horror of the mind. I particularly appreciated that Leno wasn’t afraid to present us with a protagonist who is clearly flawed. Jane, suffering from severe anger issues, is not always easy to like, let alone to root for, and this moral complexity adds depth and dimension to the narrative.

I also enjoyed the subtext about the comfort and escapism offered by books. We are repeatedly told how much Jane loves to read, especially the works of Agatha Christie. When her anger threatens to overwhelm her, Jane’s preferred coping method is to secretly eat a page from one of her books. In a thematic sense, the act of consuming literature helps to ease her mood, but it also establishes Jane’s mental state as increasingly unreliable. Surreal elements like this, and the story’s twisted climax, really give the novel some punch, and I would have loved Leno to push them even further.

Less successful are the book’s pacing and structure. The Big Reveal hinges around a so-called “secret de Polichinelle”. Put simply, this means an open secret that everyone knows except the protagonist, but which no one mentions because they assume the protagonist does already know. This technique can be successful, but feels laboured in this instance. Not only is there a convoluted means of shoehorning its definition into the story, it also becomes clear to the reader what’s going on long before it occurs to Jane. This results in a lot of meandering, with everyone skirting around the (obvious) truth, and not much else going on to justify the word count.

Solid in its ideas but flawed in execution, Horrid is both singular and readable enough to be worth checking out if you feel at all tempted.

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Sadie by Courtney Summers | Book Review

Sadie by Courtney Summers
Published by Wednesday Books, 2018
My rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Sadie is that rare look at trauma, and the dark side of humanity, that manages to be unflinching without ever feeling salacious. The story is told in two parallel narratives. The first follows our title character, hellbent on tracking down and killing the man that murdered her younger sister. The second is the transcript of a podcast, produced by a journalist investigating the case who is attempting to catch up with Sadie.

The duality of the plot’s structure and style is very effective. It taps into our morbid fascination with true crime, lending everything an unsettling air of realism, and allowing the author to relay facts at the right moment without it ever feeling like a convenient info-dump. On the other hand, Sadie’s first-person sections ensure that everything stays grounded in visceral human emotion.

The characters are handled with real skill, being far more complex than first impressions would imply. Sadie, for example, is an enormously sympathetic and empowering character, yes, but she is also realistically flawed, viewing her drug addict mother with an understandable but limited sense of villainy, and harbouring deep-rooted guilt and trauma of her own. As the true depth and motivation behind her vendetta becomes increasingly clear, the story takes on a whole other layer of poignancy and impact.

It’s worth noting that Sadie lives with a severe stutter, and though the stigma she faces is reflected consistently and convincingly, her disability is never the focus of the story, nor is it used as a device to further the plot or tick diversity boxes. This feels like genuine, reflective representation.

The pace is also handled well, as there’s a strong sense of tension building towards a final showdown, but I did think the book lacked a certain punch when it came to the climax itself. That said, I really appreciate that Summers chose not to wrap everything up too neatly in a bow. She provides enough closure to satisfy the reader’s investment in Sadie’s journey, whilst leaving enough open to invite further contemplation, crafting a conclusion that feels appropriately bittersweet. This sense of there being more to uncover reflects the lack of answers often present in real life cases of murder and missing people. As much as we may want everything to work itself out perfectly, life is rarely that kind.

Stradling the line between YA and adult fiction with ease, I think this would work for lovers of both. To explore the uncomfortably dark issues of abuse, paedophilia, grief, addiction, class divides, and revenge with the reverence they warrant, whilst completely avoiding gratuity, is not easy. Summers pulls is off here, telling a story that lends a voice to the victims too often forced to stay silent.

***

If you’d like to give Sadie a go, you can pick up a copy from Book Depository by clicking here. If you’ve already read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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The Twisted Tree by Rachel Burge | Book Review

The Twisted Tree by Rachel Burge
Published by Hot Key Books, 2019
My rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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Hearing this described as ‘part ghost story, part Nordic thriller’ was all I really needed to feel hyped. In fact, I included it amongst my most anticipated releases of the year. It centres around Martha, a teenage girl with the strange supernatural ability to tell things about a person simply by touching their clothes. She sets off to her Grandmother’s home in rural Norway in search of answers, and things take a series of strange and dark turns from there as she delves into her family history.

Though it’s fair to say it didn’t live up to my high expectations, there were certainly aspects of it that I enjoyed. The cold, isolated setting was right up my street; I liked the strong influence of mythology; and there were a few creepy, atmospheric moments, during which the narrative was definitely at its strongest.

There was a decent attempt to flesh out the central characters, Martha and Stig, as both process their respective feelings of grief and trauma. Martha is also blind in one eye, and sustained a facial disfigurement in the same accident that sparked her strange abilities. Though I felt far more could have been done here in the way of emotional growth, there was a slight element of Martha trying to overcome her insecurities and make peace with her physical differences – which is always a positive message to spread, especially in a novel aimed at a predominantly YA audience.

There’s no denying that things get a little far-fetched plot wise, but I was actually able to suspend my disbelief and submit myself to its fantastical oddities, swept up by the brisk pace and its moments of genuine excitement. Ironically, it was the more human elements of the story that I found unbelievable, particularly the angsty romance subplot; which also veered a little too much towards insta-love for my liking. It felt contrived to me; there to adhere to YA conventions rather than for character development or plot progression; not to mention being tonally jarring with the otherwise dark and thrilling story.

I won’t get into spoiler territory, but I will say there was a bit of a twist towards the end which, in fairness, did stop things from becoming the perfectly neat, happily-ever-after conclusion that I feared we were heading towards. It threw up a lot of potential to really shake up the dynamic between Martha and Stig, and to flip reader expectations. But once again, it wasn’t followed up properly, and so its potential impact simmered out.

That, in fact, is a fairly good way to sum up how I felt about the book as a whole. It has lots of potential in a number of areas, and is certainly a fast, fun read, but it never hit the mark as strongly as it could have, landing firmly in ‘meh’ territory for me. Still, I decided to round up to three stars for its original concept and sheer readability.

If you fancy giving The Twisted Tree a go, you can find it with free international shipping by clicking here, or on the image above. If you’ve already read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Let’s Recommend | YA for Adult Readers

Let’s recommend some YA books for adult readers

I don’t pick up YA books all that often these days, but that’s not to say there aren’t some absolute gems out there. I think a major put-off for a lot of people who tend to steer away from it (especially older readers) is a worry that the stories will focus too much on angsty teenage romance, and shy away from more serious, real-world issues. With that in mind, here are some YA reads that do precisely the opposite, hence why I think adult and teenage readers alike should find something to relate to.

Asking For It by Louise O’Neill

Through the eyes of a teenage protagonist in a small town, O’Neill explores the terrible culture of victim blaming, and the poisonous attitude of slut shaming, that plague society when it comes to cases of sexual assault. The genius of the book lies in how flawed our heroine actually is, proving how easy it is for people to brand a ‘certain kind of girl’ with demoralising labels that can prove as damaging as the physical assault itself.

After Tomorrow by Gillian Cross

After Tomorrow flips the readers’ perception of the refugee crisis on its head by essentially forcing us to ask, ‘what if it was me?’. This speculative dystopian novel follows a British family as they flee through the Channel Tunnel in search of asylum on the continent, following economic disaster, food shortages, and mass rioting in the UK. It touches on many aspects of the migrant experience, including displacement, language barriers, borders being closed, families being separated, widespread mistrust, and the struggle to hold onto your national identity. It also features an entirely platonic male/female friendship between two teenagers, which was a refreshing touch in a YA read.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

This touching, universally relatable story is all about love, loss, and the transformative power of storytelling to help us deal with the hardships of life. Simple in prose, yet painfully real, it focuses on a young boy, whose mother is seriously ill. By night, he is visited by a strange monster that tells him stories, in exchange for the truth he is hiding from even himself. The moment that truth is revealed is devastatingly poignant. I highly recommend picking up an edition with Jim Kay’s wonderfully atmospheric illustrations if possible; I felt they added a whole other layer of depth and immersion.

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Shining a light on an often-forgotten part of the war, Between Shades of Gray follows a 15-year-old Lithuanian girl, who, along with her mother and little brother, is seized under Stalin’s rule and sent to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. They must survive the brutality of both their captors and the horrendous conditions, whilst keeping the spark of hope alive amongst their peers, that they may live to see liberation.

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

I read this years ago, but certain scenes, and the general tone of strange beauty and quiet heartbreak, have stayed with me ever since. This lyrical, magical story is a multi-generational family drama that focuses predominantly on a girl born with wings that sprout from her back. In her search for acceptance and normalcy, she will be both ridiculed and revered, in a tale that builds towards a devastating climax that is plagued by pain and loss, but tinged with hope.

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Have you read any of these books? What YA books would you recommend for adult readers?