Young Adult Fiction | Books Rekindled

“The demon offspring of Stephen King’s The Shining and Hitchcock’s Psycho.” ~Michael Grant

To further get in the Halloween spirit, I decided to read Daniel Kraus‘ young adult novel, Scowler. I have rarely been so uncomfortable or anxious while reading, and that includes adult fiction. It was a perfect choice.

The story is set on a failing farm in the 1980s, hours before a meteor shower is scheduled to begin. The atmosphere is ominous, palpably so. We are immediately made aware that unspoken horrors have happened here, actions that have invaded the soil and minds of the Burke family, who lives there. It opens with 19-year-old Ry and his little sister scouring a field for her newly lost tooth. During this innocent activity, Ry’s thoughts turn toward his father, a man inexorably entwined with the cruelties that landed him in prison 9 years prior and with the memory of something cryptically referred to as “The Unnamed Three.” Kraus deftly sets the stage for this man, larger than life in his son’s eyes, rendering him both godlike and evil–someone legendary, someone to be feared:

“Marvin Burke was a man whose shadow still chilled the entire county. Merchants and neighbors alike had brandished a distrust of the man of the wolverine manner, the obliterating handshake, the features that never stopped moving–the pulsing veins, twitching mustache, a rubber grin that delivered the nonstop soliloquies….They suspected the man was a horror and they were right.

Ry had known that what his father did in the privacy of their home was unspeakable, but how could he or anyone else dare to stop him when Marvin Burke was the one who kept the sun rising and falling, kept winters from falling too harshly…?” (5)

The power of this book is in its subtlety, the quiet way in which details are laid down so that you feel their weight even before you understand their true implications. Daniel Kraus uses both language and narrative structure to excellent effect, making Scowler a psychological and visceral tale of horror. Time is doled out by the hour, elevating the sense of tension pervading the novel, but also confining the story’s action to approximately two days. Through a series of flashbacks, missing information falls into place, revealing a past events that made me cringe and cry aloud. Though Marvin is the largest figure in the novel, Ry is its central character. We delve into his mind and see him struggle, not only with the abuse of his father, but with the emergence of Marvin’s tendencies within himself; brutality is pitted against familial loyalty and the raw need to survive.

As you observe the Burkes on their farm and hear the calls of the Unnamed Three, the narrative thread imperceptibly tightens around your heart, quickening your pulse and inciting panic because you know something terrible is lurking in every corner and everything is about to be made worse, but you just don’t know when.

For fans of realistic horror, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Scowler.

It’s been a long time since I thoroughly enjoyed a book with no complaints. Hannah Barnaby’s Wonder Show recently gave me that pleasure. Here are a few discriptors that might grab your attention: Gypsy, Sideshow, Circus, Storytelling, Family, Self-Discovery, Abandonment, Mystery, Death, Friendship. Are you listening? Gather ’round.

Wonder Show is set in 1939 in America’s midwest. It begins with Portia Remini’s life as a child in a gypsy tribe, where a tradition of storytelling is not only in her blood, but in the very air around her. When the tribe falls upon hard times and must disband, Portia finds herself a resident of McGreavy’s Home for Wayward Girls, a miserable, slavish establishment. It doesn’t take long for Portia to decide she needs to escape and find her father, who had left her with the promise of coming back for her one day. Peddling madly on a stolen, red bike she catches up with a traveling circus, the perfect cover for a runaway. It is in this manner that Portia Remini joins the Wonder Show:

“‘This is no ordinary carnival, darling. You’ve signed on with Mosco’s Traveling Wonder Show.’

Portia still felt itchy and hot. ‘Sounds fine to me.’

Violet smirked. ‘Then clearly you’ve never been through the ten-in-one.’ She cupped her hands around her mouth and hollered. ‘Step right up! Behold the terrible wonders of nature! The Fattest Woman in the World! The Lobster Boy! The Dreaded Albinos of Darkest Africa!’…Violet stood up and stepped close so her mouth was almost touching Portia’s ear. ‘Welcome to the freak show, little girl.'” (pages 88-9)

Though Portia’s vivid imagination and propensity for storytelling help her land a job with the sideshow, life on the road is not as easy as she expected. She must struggle with external and internal forces, as she figures out what her own story is to be. Reminiscent of Lyra Belacqua (Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials) in her independence and impetuous nature, Portia also cares fiercely for those close to her. As such, she is an exciting and admirable heroine, who will be remembered beyond the final page of the novel.

Aside from the story itself, what I loved about Wonder Show is the author’s care for her subject. It is clear that Hannah Barnaby has a genuine love of circus life and history, including that of the traveling sideshow, and has conducted solid research to give her narrative a rich level of detail and authenticity. Hers is not a story of the circus in its hayday, but rather one when it and the sideshow are in decline. It still has the veneer of the spectacular, but we, as readers, are privvy to the hard realities of life behind the scenes. Quick shifts in narration occur while Portia is with the Wonder Show, offering short histories and greater understanding of the “freaks” and “normals” who work the show. I saw them as a sort of narrative cabinet card designed to humanize their subjects.

Knife Throwers via sideshowfreaks.files.wordpress.com; Isaac Sprague, the Original Living Skeleton via thehumannmarvels.com; Eli Bowen, The Wonderful Man & Family via dcphotoartist.com

Barnaby is careful not to let her story lose momentum in its unusual setting. Tension and action progress nicely as Portia plots her escape and launches the search for her father. There is quirk within this novel, but it is not self serving. I kept thinking back to the latest Mysterious Benedict Society (see my review here), which also followed the formula of a child living in a cruel orphanage who has a mystery to solve and a cast of quirky characters to help with the job. However, in Stewart’s novel these elements overshadow the narrative and act as surrogates for the story’s heart; Barnaby steers clear of these pitfalls and gives readers a strong story and layered character whose tale is enhanced by the strangeness of her surroundings, not defined by them. It is hard to believe this is Barnaby’s first novel. She writes with a grace that many experienced authors have yet to achieve and is a natural storyteller in her own right.

Despite being a William C. Morris Award finalist and making many “best of” lists, I feel that Wonder Show still managed to fly under the radar and escape many people’s notice. I know I missed it until its beautiful cover grabbed my attention at ALA, and I am so glad it did.

Technically classed as young adult fiction, this book could easily be enjoyed by middle school readers. Be on the lookout for its Oct. 2 paperback release and for future works by Hannah Barnaby. She is most definitely a name to know.

I must admit that I am predisposed to like anything involving the circus. I find it fascinating! If you read Wonder Show and find yourself wanting more, see if your library has a copy of Taschen’s The Circus. 1870s-1950s. It is a wonder in itself. Roughly the size of my torso, this hefty book is filled with old show posters (both circus and sideshow), rare photographs, and circus history. It is sure to leave you dazzled.