What I'm Reading: Whisper Down the Lane

Today I have a MUST BUY title by an author you should know in the just released Feb 15th issue of  Booklist, Clay McLeod Chapman. I read and reviewed his The Remaking here.

But in April, he has a new title coming out and it is fantastic. Let's start with my draft review and then move on to more information.

Whisper Down the Lane 

by Clay McLeod Chapman

Apr. 2021. 336p. Quirk, $19.99 (9781683692157); e-book, $11.99 (9781683692164). 
First published February 15, 2021 (Booklist).

Professor Howdy, the school rabbit, disemboweled and spread out ritualistically on the school soccer fields, opens Chapman’s (The Remaking) deeply unsettling and unputdownable novel which mines the real trials that launched the Satanic Panic of the 1980s for inspiration. Told from two, alternating first person perspectives, Richard in 2013 and Sean in 1983, readers follow Sean’s gut wrenching experiences as one of the defendants in those trials and Richard, who is living with the repercussions of those events in the future, repercussions that are coming back from the grave to rear their demonic head and punish him. Readers can tell from the start that Ricahrd is hiding important information and yet, he draws them in, urging an uneasy and discomforting emotional participation in both stories. When the dots between the narratives begin to connect, that’s when the terror unspools, spilling all over the page. Creepy and engaging, this is a tale for readers who enjoy true crime like We Believe the Children by Richard Beck, horror like My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix, and intensely, disorienting psychological suspense where what is real and what is imagined blur beyond recognition like Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin.

 YA Statement: These days, many teens are interested in the 1980s and the Satanic Panic, in particular, as both are seeing a resurgence in pop culture nostalgia, and this story will satisfy their curiosity while delivering a high interest and compelling suspense story. The author’s inclusion of further reading at the end of the book will allow them to explore more on their own.

Further Appeal: First I want to talk about Chapman as an author. This is his second horror themed novel, and he has now proven he is here to stay. Like with The Remaking, Chapman takes a real event, horror adjacent topic and expands it into a novel. 

That first book focused on a witch trial. Here, it is the beginning of the Satanic Panic. Actually, in the back of the book, Chapman calls this novel "Satanic Panic Fan Fiction;" I love that. It is true, but also downplays how original, creepy, and enjoyable this book was to read [well enjoyable to those like me who want to feel uneasy and on edge while reading]. Also it is a huge area of growth right now too. Many books and movies are coming out looking back on this troubling time in our recent history. I wrote an entire paragraph about this trend in my new book and used this book as an example.

Whisper Down the Lane is a perfect library title because it is not strictly Horror. It is deeply rooted in the Satanic Panic and devil worship, but the terror and unease here is mostly explained by real world things. It is intensely unsettlingly and the unease is oppressive like a horror novel. But it is also a stellar psychological suspense with a nod to true crime which will appeal to fans of that nonfiction genre too. Please suggest it far and wide. 

All of your True Crime, Horror, and Psychological Suspense fans should hear about this book from you. Use my review as your "book talk." For your curbside patrons  who like any of these genres, slip the review from Booklist Online into their next hold. Or copy from the print magazine, or print this page and cut out the commentary after the review part. Ask if they want to get on the list early? Many of them will.

Also there is an awesomely creepy scene in a corn maze around Halloween. 

Finally, and I made sure to mention it at the start of the review, animals [yes another one besides the rabbit] are mutilated here. It is key to the story and to set up the ritualistic Satanic stuff, but reader beware. 

Three Words That Describe This Book: engaging, intensely unsettling, dual narratives

Readalikes: Above there are 3 that show the range of appeal here. Here are a few more:

• A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay [possession]
• Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough [creepy and intense psychological suspense]
• Now You’re One of Us by Asa Nonami [ditto]

In the acknowledgements, Chapman also references Ira Levin, William Peter Blatty and Dan Chaon for great examples of Satanic Panic novels.