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Apparition

by Gail Gallant

Amelia Mackenzie, the 17-year-old protagonist of television writer and story-editor Gail Gallant’s debut novel, is keeping a couple of hefty secrets. The first is that she’s in love with her best friend, Matthew. The second is that she sees ghosts, including that of her mother, who died three years earlier from cancer.

Apparition is a successful combination of teenage romance gone awry and an absorbing supernatural story. Amelia is working up the courage to tell Matthew how she feels when his body is discovered in an abandoned barn, impaled by a pitchfork. Though foul play is initially suspected, his death is ruled a suicide. Amelia knows there’s no way her friend would kill himself, even if he was acting strangely the last time she saw him.

With the help of a local reporter and his (extremely good-looking and charming) son Kip, Amelia begins investigating Matthew’s death and other tragedies that have occurred in the barn over the years, only to discover that Matthew may be dead, but he certainly isn’t gone. Torn between her long-held feelings for Matthew and some strong new ones for Kip, Amelia finds herself caught in a bizarre love triangle, even  as she tries to prevent more young men from dying.

Amelia is full of teenage snark, tempered by insecurity and sadness. When Matthew  tries to offer solace for her mother’s death, saying she’s happy in heaven, Amelia’s response is: “Part of me felt so comforted hearing him say that. The other part of me thought, Actually, she’s hanging out in the back garden.”

Gallant’s novel is a tightly plotted, entertaining read that spooks more than it scares. With a sequel already in the works, readers have much more to look forward to from this promising author.

 

Reviewer: Dory Cerny

Publisher: Doubleday Canada

DETAILS

Price: $14.95

Page Count: 288 pp

Format: Paper

ISBN: 978-0-38567-962-6

Released: Sept

Issue Date: 2013-10

Categories: Children and YA Fiction

Age Range: 12+