Horrid by Katrina Leno

Abstract

Reviewed by: Horrid by Katrina Leno Kate Quealy-Gainer, Assistant Editor Leno, Katrina Horrid. Little, 2020 [336p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780316537247 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780316537186 $9.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 7-10 After her father's death, Jane and her mother must move to Maine and the abandoned mansion where her mother grew up. The house is creepy as all get out, and while her mother reassures her that those noises at night are just the house settling, Jane's not so sure. The stares and flat-out bullying sent her way at school don't make her feel any more welcome, and it takes all of her willpower not to let the fury the she feels at the whole situation to bubble over into violence. The house seems to be pushing her toward her worst tendencies, though, with strange smells and sounds reminding her of her past bouts of rage and pulling at her sanity. This is movie-ready Gothic horror, with a deliciously foreboding setting, an increasingly unreliable narrator, and a Mommie Dearest plotline that carefully and effectively straddles the line between campy and disturbing. The third-person narration has a straightforward, coolly aloof tone that seems to immediately indicate this is not going to go well for anyone involved, and the pacing strikes just the right rhythm, moving erratically as Jane becomes more upset but pausing on the truly terrifying elements to let the fear fully envelop the reader. Jane may be a fan of Agatha Christie, but this will more likely please readers of Shirley Jackson. Copyright © 2020 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois