I came across a cover reveal for this book some time ago, and immediately had to look it up. It sounded intriguing, so I started chatting on Dawn on twitter, and I knew this was a book I’d have to get hold of. I finally managed to get an early copy (thank you NIna!) and I managed to finish it just before YALC (YA Literature Convention). I took that proof copy with me for Dawn to sign, but as soon as I saw the finished version, I had to buy that as well – and apparently it sold out on the day!
So, what’s it about? Let’s have a look at the back cover…
I love the little bit at the top!
The book is written in a way which looks back at the Johnson Incident, and it explores it using diary entries, transcripts of videos, police interviews etc, along with little notes by the (unknown) author. This is a risky approach, but Dawn does it brilliantly, and there were many times that I believed I was reading about a real event, and I had to keep reminding myself that it was fiction!
As for the main character – well, Carly and Kaitlyn as two girls who share the same body, and it’s not clear whether this is a ‘multiple personality disorder’ as their psychiatrist believes, or two souls sharing the same body, as their friend Naida insists. Carly ‘exists’ during the day, and Kaitlyn at night.
The story is told from Kaitlyn’s point of view, with little glimpses into Carly’s world. As the information starts to come together, we start to discover more and more about Kaitlyn, the people who share her life, and the events leading up to the fire.
This book is beautifully written, and the layout brings out all of the nuances of each piece of information.It’s a study of mental illness, it’s a psychological thriller, it’s horror. It’s dark, it’s creepy, and extremely chilling. Kaitlyn somehow gets into your head, and the story is so compelling. It’s published by Indigo on 6th August, and it’s going to be BIG.
BCF Book Reviews 