Around the time October rolls around, I always end up finding some horror or spooky story to review! Last year, it was The Furies. This year, I bring you my thoughts on The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry! Set in the perfect small town of Smith’s Hollow in 1985, this is a book with multiple perspectives and a fast-paced plot. Check out the book blurb below and then I will dive into my thoughts on the book.
When people go missing in the sleepy town of Smith’s Hollow, the only clue to their fate comes when a teenager starts having terrifying visions, in a chilling horror novel from national bestselling author Christina Henry.
When the bodies of two girls are found torn apart in the town of Smiths Hollow, Lauren is surprised, but she also expects that the police won’t find the killer. After all, the year before her father’s body was found with his heart missing, and since then everyone has moved on. Even her best friend, Miranda, has become more interested in boys than in spending time at the old ghost tree, the way they used to when they were kids.
So when Lauren has a vision of a monster dragging the remains of the girls through the woods, she knows she can’t just do nothing. Not like the rest of her town. But as she draws closer to answers, she realizes that the foundation of her seemingly normal town might be rotten at the center. And that if nobody else stands for the missing, she will.
Content Notes: Depictions of racism, death, murder, gore, and body image issues.
Themes for Thought
In The Ghost Tree, our protagonist is a 15 year old girl, Lauren. Her father passed away in the winter and in the summer of 1985, she is struggling at home and with friendships – the classic life of a teenager!
On The Small Town Setting
Apart from Lauren, there are a number of other characters in the book – a police officer and his family, an old lady who lives across from them and holds some very serious racist views. We also meet Miranda, Lauren’s best friend who has an evolving interest in boys. The mayor of the town and Lauren’s mom and brother, David (sweetest person in the book!!!), are an integral part of the story. This sounds like a lot of characters, right?
Here’s one of the best things about The Ghost Tree – with the multiple points of views, it’s like watching a movie. While something shows up in one character’s side, we learn more about the timing and significance of the event when the next chapter begins. We rotate through the character’s perspectives one by one and I really liked how they were connected. I felt like I got to know so many people in the town and that is part of what a small town book should do, in my mind. The reader should feel like they know the community.
I learned a lot about the town and the key players in this through the characters. The town’s connection to witches is explained in the second part of the book and I felt that it justified the annual events quite well, giving the town a much older feel too. There is a lot of pain and grief hidden away in the town, things that no one is supposed to remember.
On Logic
Like I mentioned, the old lady across the street, Mrs S is against Mexicans. She tries to blame the death of the two girls (who were found in her backyard) on the “pagan rituals” of her neighbours, the police officer and his family (who are actually born and raised in the US). She was the most annoying person to read through. Even when she justified to herself that they could not have done the killing, she would find another reason to blame everything on them. I found this circular logic and her clouded judgement a good representation of how we can get caught in our own confirmation biases and use the community to fuel our anger even more.
On Friendship
Lauren and Miranda’s friendship plays an important role in the story. They are young girls and childhood friends, but as it happens as we grow, interests evolve and separate us. In Miranda, I was reminded of a childhood friend of mine. Lauren’s awkwardness reminded me of myself and their friendship together has reminiscence of my own past friendship.
On the Plot
There are a number of questions and mysteries throughout the book – does the mayor know about the death of the girls? Is there a major conspiracy that is being hidden away? Why is this town the only town in its vicinity which provides ensured employment? How has it survived for decades without falling behind? Why has the monster emerged now?
A number of things have gone astray and it is interesting to see how The Ghost Tree wraps up the history with the current situation in town. Sometimes it felt like every little detail was being explained and the story tried a bit too hard to connect all the strings. However, it did a good job. Since the memory of the town is affected, there is eeriness in the narrative and I liked the unreliableness of the town memories mixed with someone playing the puppet master.
Overall, the story was engaging and well paced. On the spooky and gorey level, I would rate The Ghost Tree quite low. It won’t give you any nightmares (The Only Good Indians, on the other hand, totally will). If you like a bit of spooky with mostly a mystery plot, pick up this book!
** The Ghost Tree is now out in stores. Find it at your local library, bookstores or Amazon. Let me know what you think! **
Amazon Print
Amazon Kindle
Many thanks to the publisher for providing me a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Cover image: Photo by vaun0815 on Unsplash
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