When We Were Animals – By Joshua Gaylord ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Coming-of-age stories, Father-Daughter Relationships, Gothic Fiction, Peer Pressure, Sexual Identity

 I received this ebook from NetGalley and Mulholland Books in exchange for an honest review.

A small Midwestern town hides a dark and shameful secret. When they hit puberty, teenagers “breach”, that is, they run wild and naked through the streets under the three nights of each full moon. They fight, have sex, and basically destroy everything in their way. Promising her father she’ll resist, Lumen Ann Fowler begins investigating the mystery behind this ritual. As she does, and the town’s past comes to light, it soon becomes evident that Lumen and her father are harboring secrets of their own.

~”It’s funny how many ways there are to hurt people. As many ways to hurt as there are species of flower. Whole bouquets of hurt.” ~

Did you ever read a book and wonder what it was you just read? That was my reaction after finishing this well written, yet disquieting story. The novel is written in the first person and is part memoir, part coming-of-age novel. The story begins with a now adult Lumen who is married, has a small child, and is living in a different town. As she reflects back to her childhood, the history of not only the town, but the relationship between Lumen and her father, is slowly revealed. This is a town which is completely unremarkable except for this bizarre change that affects its teenagers and marks each of them for roughly a year. In a way, the breaching reminded me of the complete breakdown of civilized behavior in Lord of the Flies. In the classic however, the breakdown happens when schoolchildren are completely isolated from adults and society. That’s not the case in this instance. The breaching, which is not supernatural in nature, has always existed in this tiny Appalachian like town, and no one seems to know why, or how to prevent it. On nights of the full moon, adults hide in their houses with their younger children and teenagers who have already breached. Then at dawn, they welcome their exhausted wild ones back home after a depravity filled night. Lumen has always been a little different from her peers, and since her mother mysteriously didn’t breach, Lumen thinks neither will she. She discovers when she’s sixteen, that she’s not immune to this condition but while she’s compelled to join the others, she’s still holds herself separate. In doing so, she discovers a mystery that leads her back to her deceased mother, and her own relationship with her father. Lumen is a complex and conflicted character. She and her father love each other, but the special closeness they had shared when she was young is no longer there. You can see how that hurt has affected her permanently during the chapters where she’s describing her present day life. She’s never told her husband about her past, and you can see how there’s a disconnect between them. Lumen, who’s now known as Ann Borden, actually finds it hard relating to anyone. It’s difficult to describe further what happens in this book without giving away spoilers. Joshua Gaylord’s narrative is beautiful, and perfectly captures the voice of the young confused Lumen who is battling both her own sexuality, and the expectations of her father and her peers. I think you could say that the entire story is a metaphor for not only adolescence, but the darker instincts that we tend to keep hidden. When We We Animals is not for everyone. Some of it is pretty disturbing. If you do decide to try it though, you won’t soon forget it.

The Merciless ~ by Danielle Vega – 3.5 Stars

Tags

Bullying, High School, Horror, Peer Pressure, YA

 This is just one of a few YA books that are generating alot of buzz out there. Here’s my thoughts:

Sofia Flores is used to be the new kid in school. Since her mother is an Army medic they move frequently and now they’ve landed in Friend, Mississippi. She’s shocked when the most popular girl in school, Riley, takes her under her wing. Even better, a sweet, good looking boy named Charlie takes interest in her. What could go wrong? Unfortunately plenty. Riley, along with her two minions Alexis and Grace have decided that a former member of their group Brooklyn is possessed and needs their “help”. Will Sofia be able to prevent a tragedy, or will she play whatever game it takes to be popular? So, first the cover. Loved it! I mean it’s pink with an upside down pentagram and crucifix. Brilliant design! I also liked the plot. It was kind of Mean Girls/The Craft meets the Exorcist. It also kept me guessing throughout most of the book about whether or not Brooklyn was really a demon. The best part of the book was the ending which truly lived up to the promised “twist”.  I finished it in two hours because I couldn’t put it down. My poor husband would wander into the room wanting to talk and I couldn’t even look up. I just kept waving him out. The violence is extremely explicit but I’m a Stephen King fan so except for an incident with a cat near the beginning this wasn’t an issue for me. So, what was the problem? Really weak and unlikeable characters. Riley is a religious psychotic and Grace and Alexis are her sheep. Sofia does nothing but wring her hands and remain undecided about whose side she’s on. And then there’s the attraction between her and Charlie. I believe there can be love at first sight, but the way this was written just didn’t work for me.  It seemed as though the author or her editor thought “Oh! YA fiction. Must throw a romance in there.” There are several loose threads. Like what exactly were the circumstances behind Sofia’s grandmother’s stroke and why is her mother so anti-religion? Are they connected to what happened at Sofia’s previous school? There’s a bunch of things that are thrown in or alluded to and then dropped. This may be because this is the first book in a series. I’m not sure. I will say that despite the fact that it drove me a little crazy at times, I’m intrigued enough that I want to read the next book. And yes. There’s already a movie in the works. By the people behind Pretty Little Liars no less.