Reprieve: A Novel
by
James Han Mattson
Edition
Hardcover edition
Publisher
HarperCollins
Imprint
William Morrow (Adult)
ISBN
9780063079915
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
Crime: General , Crime: Human Trafficking , Discrimination: Racial Insensitivity/Racism , Language: Grotesque/Disturbing Imagery , Language: Strong Language , Sexual Content: Strong Sexual Content/Themes , Violence: General , Discrimination: Sexism
A chilling and blisteringly relevant literary novel of social horror centered around a brutal killing that takes place in a full-contact haunted escape room—a provocative exploration of capitalism, hate politics, racial fetishism, and our obsession with fear as entertainment.
On April 27, 1997, four contestants make it to the final cell of the Quigley House, a full-contact haunted escape room in Lincoln, Nebraska, made famous for its monstrosities, booby-traps, and ghoulishly costumed actors. If the group can endure these horrors without shouting the safe word, “reprieve,” they’ll win a substantial cash prize—a startling feat accomplished only by one other group in the house’s long history. But before they can complete the challenge, a man breaks into the cell and kills one of the contestants.
Those who were present on that fateful night lend their points of view: Kendra Brown, a teenager who’s been uprooted from her childhood home after the sudden loss of her father; Leonard Grandton, a desperate and impressionable hotel manager caught in a series of toxic entanglements; and Jaidee Charoensuk, a gay international student who came to the United States in a besotted search for his former English teacher. As each character’s journey unfurls and overlaps, deceits and misunderstandings fueled by obsession and prejudice are revealed—forcing all to reckon with the ways in which their beliefs and actions contributed to a horrifying catastrophe.
A startlingly soulful exploration of complicity and masquerade, Reprieve combines the psychological tension of classic horror with searing social criticism, and seamlessly threads together trial transcripts, evidence descriptions, and deeply layered individual narratives to present a chilling portrait of this tangled American life.
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
Crime: General , Crime: Human Trafficking , Discrimination: Racial Insensitivity/Racism , Language: Grotesque/Disturbing Imagery , Language: Strong Language , Sexual Content: Strong Sexual Content/Themes , Violence: General , Discrimination: Sexism
Details
Format
Page Count
416
Trim Size
8 3/10" x 5 1/2"
Dewey
F
AR
0: points 0
Genre
Fic
Scholastic Reading Counts
0
JLG Release
Mar 2022
Book Genres
Horror, Thriller
Topics
Escape rooms. Murder investigations. Racism and prejudice. Sexual exploitation. Thailand. Lincoln, Nebraska.
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Praise & Reviews
Praise & Reviews
School Library Journal
A haunting horror story dealing with issues of race, homophobia, and sexism. Something horrible happened one night in 1997 at a "full contact" haunted house in Nebraska, but it takes the length of the book to ascertain exactly what transpired and, more important, why. Teenage horror fan Kendra is thrilled to get a job at Quigley House, the only interesting part of her new life in Nebraska. If a group of participants can make it through Quigley House without screaming "Reprieve" (the safe word that halts everything), they win a cash prize. This job leads to her beloved older cousin Bryan joining a four-person team intent on winning the haunt. Bryan is focused on winning the $15,000 prize; Jaidee wants to impress his longtime crush, Victor; and Victor wants to impress his fiancée. The backstories of the four doomed contestants intersect with those of John, the calculating owner of the house, and the easily manipulated Leonard. The team's success at each stage of the haunt is punctuated by after-the-fact depositions revealing that something awful happened in the final stage of their quest. The racism experienced by Black characters Kendra and Bryan, and the racism both experienced by and perpetuated by Jaidee, ratchets up the sense of dread. Sexual scenes, including scenes of sex tourism in Thailand, may be triggering though they are not gratuitously written. VERDICT An intense, clever, and thought-provoking horror tragedy. Narration by the younger characters is likely to appeal to older teens, who may also be drawn to the Stephen King-like haunted house setting.-Ann Foster
The Horn Book
In 1997, four contestants have managed to make it to the final cell of a booby-trapped, chills-for-everyone escape room called Quigley House without shrieking the safe word, reprieve. It's a rare feat defeated when someone breaks into the cell and kills one of the contestants. Those remaining-teenager Kendra Brown, who has lost her father and consequently her childhood home; Leonard Grandton, caught in a series of poisonous relationships; and international student Jaidee Charoensuk, hoping to reconnect with a beloved former teacher-reflect on their part in the tragedy. From Iowa Writers' Workshop grad Mattson ( The Lost Prayers of Ricky Graves), literary horror for readers of all stripes (except the easily unsettled); with a 150,000-copy first printing.
Grades 11 & Up
Adult Crossover High Plus
For Grades 11 & Up
For the more advanced high school reader who is ready for adult reading, our ACH Category is a great choice. With more sophisticated and challenging themes, the 12 books in ACH open up new worlds for teen readers.
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14 books per Year
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Interests
Fiction,Mature Readers,Novels,Realistic Fiction
Grades 11 & Up
Adult Crossover High Plus
14 books per Year
$309.26 per Year
