LONELY PLACES

A teen becomes convinced that she needs to save her sister from a dark force in the woods.

Seventeen-year-old Chase, her 10-year-old sister, Guthrie, and their parents have been on the road for years in their skoolie, an old school bus converted into an RV. Six months earlier, Guthrie stopped speaking after a traumatic event for which Chase blames herself. To provide some stability, their father finds work in Utah as a fire lookout. Chase gets a job at a local summer camp, makes friends, and develops an interest in lifeguard Wilder. But she can’t focus on their burgeoning relationship, since her priorities are saving money to return to their hometown of Boone, North Carolina, for college. She’s also trying to look after Guthrie, who’s acting increasingly oddly; meanwhile, her father has become detached and moody, and her mother refuses to believe that anything is wrong with either of them. But when Guthrie goes missing, Chase and her parents must confront the deep darkness that they’ve been trying to outrun. The writing is lyrical, particularly the descriptions of the natural world, and though there are a few creepy moments, the supernatural elements are handled lightly, mainly providing an avenue for the family to deal with the guilt, pain, and grief they’ve been holding, both collectively and individually. Main characters are cued white.

A beautifully written, emotionally astute story about confronting trauma, told through a spooky lens.