posted on 21 Oct 2017

Grave Matter by Juno Dawson

Do you know a teenager looking for a cracking Halloween read? Well, look no further than this Gothic supernatural thriller from award-winning novelist and former Queen of Teen, Juno Dawson. But beware; it pulls no punches and delivers some ghastly shocks.

Eliza Grey, young and so full of life is dead and we join her distraught family and her traumatised boyfriend, Samuel at her funeral. It’s all too much for poor Sam who, we discover, was driving the car that was ploughed into by a 4x4 that lost control on a snowy road. And he’s finding it hard to come to terms with death – and there’s no comfort to be found from his vicar-father’s religious beliefs. He just can’t let go of the love of his life and the mania persuades him that there must be a way to bring Eliza back, to put things right.

Samuel’s aunt Marie might offer an answer because she’s into alternative spirituality – much to the disgust of Samuel’s father who refuses to have anything to do with her and her pagan ways. Samuel goes in search of his aunt but she’s appalled by the idea that he wants to mess with the natural order – what or who is dead, she tells him, should remain dead. But just as Samuel thinks all hope is lost he’s given a tip off about a mystery character known as The Milk Man.

Samuel in his desperation to get Eliza back is blind to what is obvious to us as readers – what the Milk Man is offering him is fraught with danger. After being given a formula for raising the dead Samuel presses on with the ritual with little thought for the consequences. Eliza does come back but that’s where Samuel’s problems really start.

What else has come into our world from the other side with Eliza? What has this got to do with his mother falling ill? What is the Milk Man after? How can Samuel set this right again?

Well, you’ll find out all the answers if you get your copy and read it for yourself. Publishers, Barrington Stoke have made the book accessible for reluctant or dyslexic readers but they haven’t stinted on the design which matches its Gothic themes.

There are illustrations in the book provided by the wonderful Alex T Smith who we normally associate with younger readers. Here he’s had great fun doing something darker and decidedly spooky. The illustrations are quite sparingly used and I think that’s the right decision given the nature of the story.

This is a real page turner and I just couldn’t put it down until I’d finished it and there were plenty of chills to be found as I read on into the early hours. Teenagers into things like the Twilight films or who have maybe outgrown Lemony Snicket are going to love this.

 

Terry Potter

October 2017