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Book Review: Are You In The House Alone? by Richard Peck

Are You In The House Alone? by Richard Peck

Puffin, 2000

ISBN: 0141306939

Available: New and Used

 

Editor’s note: Are You In The House Alone? was first published in 1977. I first read it in 1985, and our review of it is one of the earliest we published. While it is dated, given current events, it seems eerily relevant, and even more terrifying.

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    This is probably the first young adult novel to deal frankly with rape and its aftermath. Gail, a high school junior living in a charming New England town, is getting obscene notes and phone calls. She doesn’t want to think about it, her best friend pretends nothing is happening, and when she finally tells a guidance counselor she isn’t taken seriously. Isolated and terrified, she opens the door one night to let her boyfriend in and is surprised by her stalker, who happens to be her best friend’s boyfriend and the son of the wealthiest family in her small town.

    The chief of police tells Gail he will not arrest the boy, and a sympathetic lawyer explains that pressing charges would mean an attack on her personal life. Gail decides not to press charges, and returns to school. Another girl with an identical raincoat is then attacked on her way home and is left in critical condition.

     This story shows that the rapist is not the only monster. Every person who turns a blind eye to Gail’s situation, from her best friend to the chief of police, shows an ugly side that should horrify anyone who has ever needed to tell a terrible secret.  Richard Peck, a brilliant young adult author, is effective at creating Gail’s world and is able to express the horror of her situation without getting graphic.

Contains: sexual situations, violence

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

Posted on October 3, 2018 by , Reply

Book Review: A Breath After Drowning by Alice Blanchard

A Breath After Drowning by Alice Blanchard

Titan Books, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-1785656408

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook, audio CD

 

Alice Blanchard drags the readers into the darkness with A Breath After Drowning. This psychological thriller dives down into the characters’ psychology, their trauma, and the deep pits that therapy and grief can dig, in a story that is as close to perfect as it can be in the thriller genre.

Our protagonist is child psychologist Katie Wolfe, whose sister was brutally murdered. Henry Blackwood sits on death row for the murder, yet his family remains in town. The opening chapters, which involve the suicide of a tortured teen, will rip a wound in the reader’s mind that is never given a chance to heal. Almost immediately afterwards, Katie is given another case, a teen whose troubles might lead Katie into waters too deep and black for her to survive. Every character seems to be tied somehow to Katie’s past: either the murder, or her turbulent upbringing. How she teams up with the retired detective who still lives with the case is worth the price of the book itself.

To reveal more would give away one of the many serpentine plot twists that deepen as the story unfolds. Blanchard chisels characters that darken with each layer.

Reminiscent of Gillian Flynn, Paula Hawkins, with the rawness of Stephen King’s suspense novels, this one’s highly recommended for anyone craving a thriller that will leave a scar. Blanchard is definitely an author to follow.

 

Reviewed by Dave Simms

Posted on October 3, 2018 by , Reply

Book Review: Nightingale by Amy Lukavics

Nightingale by Amy Lukavics

Harlequin Teen, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-1335012340

1951 isn’t the best time to be a teenage girl, especially one who doesn’t want to conform to society’s expectations. Talk about horror! Amy Lukavics, author of frightening and gruesome YA titles Daughters Unto Devils, The Women in the Walls, and The Ravenous, has another terrifying tale in Nightingale, which this reader feels is on par with Sarah Pinborough’s work, with a plot that twists and turns, constricting like a snake in the shadows.

It’s 1951, not the greatest time to be a teenage girl, especially one who doesn’t conform to society’s expectations of becoming another June Cleaver. Despite the same first name, though, June Hardie is an unconventional girl. She doesn’t fit in: in fact, even her family doesn’t seem to like her very much. The only time anyone pays attention to her is when stripping her of any self-confidence, or training her to fill a stereotypical role. Her happiness exists in the form of her science fiction stories, an escape that she prays will become a reality. One morning, her mother calls her “Nightingale” and suddenly displays a sweet side that doesn’t quite fit… and June snaps.

She wakes up at Burrow Place Asylum, a place that resembles a mix between the mental institution in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and the psychiatric institution in Shutter Island. The nurses and doctors shatter any remaining hold on reality June held onto, feeding her medication and eliciting visions that she knows can’t be real. Her fellow patients, or captives, warn her to keep a low profile and avoid severe “treatment” that has caused others to disappear. Her roommate, Eleanor, believes herself to be dead but might be the closest thing to a friend in the world.

What starts off as a teen book about a girl seeking to develop her unique identity morphs into a story for any age or gender as the plot drives the reader through unpredictable pathways. When the ride comes to a sudden end, “shocking” is an understatement as a descriptor.

This is definitely a breath of fresh air for YA thrillers. Lukavics knows how to snare readers, pin them down, and scare the living crap out of them– not a simple task these days. Adult readers, especially those who are fans of Sarah Pinborough, shouldn’t let the YA label stop them from picking up this outstanding novel. Highly recommended for mature teen readers ages 15+ and adults.

Contains: gore, violence, mature language.

 

Reviewed by Dave Simms

 

Posted on September 10, 2018 by , Reply
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