Howl by Shaun David Hutchinson

Abstract

Reviewed by: Howl by Shaun David Hutchinson April Spisak Hutchinson , Shaun David Howl . Simon , 2022 [ 432 p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781534470927 $19.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781534470941 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 9-12 Yanked from his life in Seattle, where he had a fantastic boyfriend, a great best friend, and still-married parents, Virgil now must deal with being the new kid in the small southern town of Merritt with his workaholic father. It does not begin well: while attending a party he is sexually assaulted by Jarrett, a boy who lures Virgil into an empty room, and that same night on his way home Virgil is brutally attacked by a monster—though everyone assures him it was a gator, bear, badger, or wild cat. Virgil stumbles through the next few months, haunted by scenes from Jarrett's assault and the party as well as memories of the monster's attack. Unfortunately, any support he had is crashing spectacularly: his long-distance boyfriend dumps him, his father retreats into his own depression, his strict grandparents offer little comfort, and his classmates torment him with cruel pranks, all too happy to riff on his trauma. There is strength to be found in hitting rock bottom, though, and Virgil eventually emerges scathed but newly aware of his own power, deciding to plumb those depths for tenacity and endurance rather than allowing the trauma to define him. If that seems a bit rosy and optimistic, particularly for Hutchinson, who brilliantly revels in unreliable narrators and tortured protagonists, rest assured [End Page 191] that Virgil's path to this new version of himself is a compelling one that readers will find authentic and insightful. Copyright © 2022 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois