THERE'S SOMEONE INSIDE YOUR HOUSE by Stephanie Perkins is a weird combination from the beginning as it's a Young Adult slasher novel. I spent much of my childhood watching R-rated movies like Alien, Robocop, Friday the 13th, and Terminator but the illicit thrill was in watching something you weren't supposed to. This is a rather strange combination of sweet teenage romance and then gutting people.
I'm not sure that it wouldn't be R-Rated given the level of violence
on display but it is definitely a teenage story too. This somewhat
disjointed tone is both a complaint and a compliment as I would
recommend this book to people who don't necessarily like slasher movies
or hardcore horror. Its tone might put off those who are big fans of the
genre, though, as it zigs when most examples of the genre zag.
Makani Young is an Afro-Hawaiian student in Osborne, Nebraska where she sticks out like a sore thumb. Having done a nebulous "bad thing" that forced her to move in with her grandmother, she's trying to rebuild her life in a school she hates. The only bright spot in Makani's life is her sort-of boyfriend Ollie that she lost her virginity to but pushed away. Ollie is a pink-haired troublemaker with a heart of (seeming) gold. The two reconnect when one of their fellow students is murdered in her house and the body count starts to grow.
The obvious comparison for this book is Wes Craven's Scream but the killer remains off-camera to a significant more degree than Ghostface. Here, the focus is squarely on Makani and Ollie for the most part as well as their romance. Even so, the book makes the wise decision to reveal who the killer is about halfway through the book. Before the revelation, the murders seem a bit disjointed and unrelated to the main plot.
This isn't a mystery but a slasher and that's when the book starts to pick up steam. Some individuals may be disappointed with the killer's identity and motivation but the book makes clear that their absurdity is the point. Nothing could justify their killing spree and its randomness is part of the point. Sadly, the reality of a teenager snapping then going on a killing spree of their classmates means that this isn't a fantastical premise like it was in the 80s ala Heathers. The only difference between this killer and real world school killers is he uses a knife not a gun.
I'm a big fan of slasher movies and horror so I'm always glad to see a serious work entered into the genre in a new medium. I think I like this a bit more than Riley Sager's Final Girls despite the fact the latter is more high concept but that's because it sticks to its landing far better. This feels more realistic and grounded, too, for whatever that counts in a slasher novel.
In conclusion, if you're interested in a tame YA story to introduce other people to the slasher genre as well as something that is intelligently written as well as romantic then this is a pretty good novel. I liked Ollie and Makani's relationship as well as appreciated it was frankly sexual in a way that felt a lot more real than most books about teenagers their age. There's a few issues I have as I think the slasher scenes could have been more suspenseful in the beginning. These are minor flaws, though.
Available here
Makani Young is an Afro-Hawaiian student in Osborne, Nebraska where she sticks out like a sore thumb. Having done a nebulous "bad thing" that forced her to move in with her grandmother, she's trying to rebuild her life in a school she hates. The only bright spot in Makani's life is her sort-of boyfriend Ollie that she lost her virginity to but pushed away. Ollie is a pink-haired troublemaker with a heart of (seeming) gold. The two reconnect when one of their fellow students is murdered in her house and the body count starts to grow.
The obvious comparison for this book is Wes Craven's Scream but the killer remains off-camera to a significant more degree than Ghostface. Here, the focus is squarely on Makani and Ollie for the most part as well as their romance. Even so, the book makes the wise decision to reveal who the killer is about halfway through the book. Before the revelation, the murders seem a bit disjointed and unrelated to the main plot.
This isn't a mystery but a slasher and that's when the book starts to pick up steam. Some individuals may be disappointed with the killer's identity and motivation but the book makes clear that their absurdity is the point. Nothing could justify their killing spree and its randomness is part of the point. Sadly, the reality of a teenager snapping then going on a killing spree of their classmates means that this isn't a fantastical premise like it was in the 80s ala Heathers. The only difference between this killer and real world school killers is he uses a knife not a gun.
I'm a big fan of slasher movies and horror so I'm always glad to see a serious work entered into the genre in a new medium. I think I like this a bit more than Riley Sager's Final Girls despite the fact the latter is more high concept but that's because it sticks to its landing far better. This feels more realistic and grounded, too, for whatever that counts in a slasher novel.
In conclusion, if you're interested in a tame YA story to introduce other people to the slasher genre as well as something that is intelligently written as well as romantic then this is a pretty good novel. I liked Ollie and Makani's relationship as well as appreciated it was frankly sexual in a way that felt a lot more real than most books about teenagers their age. There's a few issues I have as I think the slasher scenes could have been more suspenseful in the beginning. These are minor flaws, though.
Available here
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