BAD CREEK

Iris returns to the lake where her sister drowned, hoping to find the truth.

The Garren family vacations in Bad Creek, Michigan, every year. So do the ultra-wealthy, ultra-Christian Clavey family. In fact, it’s almost as though Bad Creek exerts a supernatural pull on people, a hunger for nostalgia and tradition. This year, 16-year-old Iris and her moms are back, even though Iris’ older sister, Glory, drowned there last year. The chapters rotate in close third person among the perspectives of Iris and two of her friends, Gum (whose mother is a Clavey) and Aidan (who didn’t even want to come back to Bad Creek to see his horror movie director father). June uses this structure to great effect, highlighting the characters’ differing perspectives and building up the drama. Iris believes that Glory was murdered, and she seeks to solve the crime. Gum, meanwhile, is haunted by the decaying ghosts of girls who have drowned in nearby Burt Lake. And Aidan struggles with his memories of what happened last year. The creepy, supernatural plot is intriguing on its own but also functions as an effective metaphorical exploration of conservatism, traditionalism, patriarchal structures, and the terror and allure of the old boys’ club. All the characters read as white.

A creepy and thrilling mystery that skillfully includes timely social commentary.