We all have those specific little things that scare us senseless.
We're known to glorify them, even challenge ourselves to see just how much horror we can tolerate. One of last year's biggest selling cinema releases was a second film adaptation of a 1980s' horror novel. I myself being deathly afraid of spiders have attempted to watch Arachnophobia on at least 3 seperats occasions. It was thanks to the stubbornness of my husband and sister that got me through it.
What causes these fears? Is it something that stems from childhood? Was I once bitten by a patheticially non-radioactive spider when I was a little girl? I know my fear and fascination with zombies is rooted in being shut in a darkened room with Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' on the telly (thanks again to my little sister). There's nothing like the sunken eyes of zombie Jackson and the chilling voice of Vincent Price to inspire fear!
Anyway, I digress, as I say most of us are scared of something (I can hear somebody saying "I'm not" just to be different - jog on showoff)!
Me? I've always known what scares me. I've been a massive fan of Stephen King since the tender age of 11 - I read 'It' way too young.
Before I cover this week's chosen book I have to give credit to the children's book series that turned my son from a reluctant reader into an avid one. It has sold more than 350 million copies worldwide, which is eerily as many as Stephen King has sold himself. I refer of course to the Goosebumps series written by R.L. Stine (often hailed as the Stephen King for kids). These books filled a much of ignored gap in the market, allowing children to delight in scaring themselves through the medium of reading. They've been adapted into a long standing t.v. series and 2 Hollywood movies on top of generating all kinds of merchandise. Well Well played Mr Stine, thank you for allowing my youngest son a more natural build up to the works of adult horror and for getting him to read in the first place!
I'll take care to mention that I've used the word ignorant a fair bit in this blog post. My usage has been intentional. In fact it is the subject of ignorance that led to my choice of book this week.
Many months ago my husband gave me a newspaper article that he thought might pique my interest. I looked briefly at it, acknowledged his effort with a thank you, placed the article on my desk and got on with my day. It was three whole weeks before I even looked at it again. When I read it I realised it was all about book recommendations. I applauded myself on knowing a couple of the titles (yay me) but then came across a book series that intrigued me. Bookshops were a bust but the local library had one copy of the series' second installment.
The cover appeared distinctly unremarkable. I spent some time wondering who in the world of journalism had lost their wits so completely that they'd tout it as a great read. The blurb redeemed it a little, but not enough for me to want to read it immediately. So it sat on the top of my 'to read' pile for months. I kid you not, it's incurred the maximum charge from the library. Last week I was traveling to London and I picked it up on a whim as I needed something to tide me over on the train.
Pike centres around Nicky, a young boy who lives at home with his single father and older brother Kenny. Kenny has clear mental and emotional needs but at no point are we ever really told what those needs are. In that respect we're left to do a little detective work.
One day, while the two boys are out with their dog on a fishing trip at Bacon Pond Nicky discovers something. After Nicky has to swim out and rescue the struggling dog he sees something he simply can't understand, something strange and very very wrong: a gold rolex attached to a dismembered hand which is partly attached to...
...well Nicky knows, you'll just have to read more to find out!
Desperate to improve their financial situation Nicky decides he has to retrieve this watch, it could provide his family with much needed cash. But the waters of Bacon Pond are dangerous. Stories of the omnivorous pike have spread through the town like wildfire. As if to ram the point home, Nicky is forced to out swim them when he swims out to rescue his dog in that very first chapter.
The pike are not the only threat. The town's local gangster is on the loose, with some scores to settle, particularly after the disappearance of his father. Will the gangster seek retribution against Nicky and his family? What happens to the several major characters that have just plain vanished (characters which include Nicky's mum)? Who is the mysterious stranger that skulks around the pond at random hours of the day? And what the hell is lurking deep down in that murky water?
Well, where do I start? The book itself is only 127 pages long, an easy read for reluctant readers. Written in the first person, the language used is every inch the reflection of the book's main character. This leads to a beautiful feeling of gritty realism, the only negative being the fact that this child swears a lot (yes, I'm well aware most boys his age do).
It won't stretch young readers in terms of vocabulary but the plot will at least hook them and get them reading. While I wouldn't ordinarily class it as a horror it does use a tool that most horror movies and books have sadly forgotten: the tool of suspense.
The first chapter throws a well timed shock your way, before the next couple lull you into a false sense of security while you get to know the characters. When the next intense scary chapter arrives the reader is a little unprepared. What follows is Nicky's increasingly frantic plan unfolding as he tries to get the watch. It's a slow methodical rise to a climactic point which seems to last an age! I nearly went blue holding my breath!
It is expertly crafted, with phrases that stand out for extra effect, such as this one on the very first page:
"...if you looked closer you could see... ...the shimmer of energy that passed through the solid body under the scales."
It doesn't matter that it's the second book in the series. It stands well enough on it's own.
If as a parent, you're confident that your child can handle swearing then I suppose they could get away with reading from the age of 9. The ideal age in my opinion would be around 11 or 12.
It'll succeed where other books might fail, in giving kids a good scare!
Book 35 of my 52 book challenge, my scary book and maybe a reason why I should pay my husband a little more attention!
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