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The Harrowing
 | The Harrowing Alexandra Sokoloff — Book Rating: |
The set up for this novel sounds like the set up for a bad teen horror movie--a mousy girl, a jock with a chip on his shoulder, a rebel, a bad girl, and studious nerd all decide to stay on a deserted college campus in a historical residence hall over Thanksgiving break. There are storms, complete with lightning and power outages; marijuana and alcohol; a sort of truth game; and a mystic talking board used to summon spirits. And yet, the author uses the framework to move beyond the cliche and create some truly scary moments and a great climax complete with suspenseful stalking in the darkness and ancient rituals.
A short, fast read that older teens will love, this reads like a movie, which isn't surprising, given the author's background. What is surprising, at least to this reviewer, is that she manages to take this past the typical bad movie set up and make it about something more. Fake blood and monsters and stupid violence are not very scary--but primal evil and the precariousness and fragileness of human connections are. Be aware of mature subject matter (drug use, drinking, sexual situations) when recommending this to teens.
