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When reading YA books such as The Cemetery Boys, by Heather Brewer, one usually knows immediately what category of book it is: romance, coming of age, fantasy, horror. I would say that this book is a bit of each genre mixed together.
The story centers around a seventeen-year old boy named Steven. When Steven’s mother gets put in a mental hospital in Denver, He and his father must move to the small town of Spencer, Michigan (population 814) to live with Steven’s Grandmother. In his new environment, Steven must navigate the set parameters of life in a small community, where everyone has made up their minds about each person already. He falls into the company of a group of boys who like to party at the cemetery, aka “The Playground”, and falls even harder for one of the boy’s sisters, Cara.
I enjoyed the mix of confusion, anger and longing that Steven experiences as he begins to learn the town’s secrets and questions the sanity of some of the residents. You never know for certain if there is a supernatural element or if some of the characters are just plain psychotic. As a reader, one is compelled not only to solve the mystery, but also to try and figure out who is sane or insane. How far would you go to fit in? What would you do to show your loyalty? Who can you trust?
The book also showed a great sense of gothic dread. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the relationships Steven had with his father and grandmother. The ending was gripping, but I was a little surprised by how neatly everything was tied up. Although, perhaps not realistic, it made for a satisfying conclusion.
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