Bibliography: Healey, Karen. (2011). The Shattering. New York: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN: 978-0316125727
Plot Summary: Teens Keri, Janna and Sione have something in common. All had an older brother who committed suicide. Janna tells Keri she and summer fling Sione think it might have been murder, with a pattern of deaths stretching back for years. They try and catch the person responsible, but when they get close, strange and dangerous things start to happen. Will they stop the killer from striking again? Or end up victims themselves?
Critical Analysis: I have a hard time writing about a book like this, as I don’t want to give too much away, so here goes nothing.
I hesitate to call this novel paranormal. For me, as of late, that term invokes visions of vampires, werewolves and ghosts in a sort of other world that might look like our world but is different. Healey instead gives the reader something real. Real feelings both on the part of the main characters and the secondary ones. Grief and fear and a need to do something, to take control. Human feelings and motives that drive actions both good and bad. This reality adds a layer of fear and suspense and emotion to the events as they unfold. This story, the setting, and the characters as so well realized that days after finishing the book, I can see it in my mind, playing like a movie. (It would be an excellent teen horror movie I think.)
Readalikes: I was reminded of Shirley Jackson’s short story, The Lottery and of Margo Lanagan’s Singing My Sister Down.
Review Excerpts: ”[A]n intense and powerful novel that explores the effect of suicide on families….skillfully keeps her characters on an emotional roller-coaster even as they deal with physical threats. The climax delivers a gut punch that only underscores the sensitivity of the subject matter (without lessening the thrill at all).”–Publisher’s Weekly
“Healey has got a whopper of a concept here, and strong main characters to make the most of it. It is easy to identify with at least one of the trio—shattered Keri, lovely Janna, soulful Sione—and get swept up in the mystery that surrounds them as they work to protect Takeshi and Aroha, who are endearing.”–VOYA
“Told in alternating chapters by the teens, the story unfolds at an even pace, with the characters developing into fully realized and distinctly different personalities. Healey merges Maori and Samoan words and cultural influences throughout the text. A good choice for teens who prefer their fantasies mixed with more realism.”–School Library Journal
“…Healey (Guardian of the Dead, 2010) seamlessly integrates noir and fantasy tropes to explore issues of suicide, trust, sexuality, race, insecurity and free will in a way that feels fresh.”–Kirkus Reviews
Reviewed from publisher provided advanced copy. Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.
