Book Review: The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry
The town of Smith’s Hollow is a quiet, sleepy, but prosperous place. The residents are happy, for the most part, until two girls are killed and left in an old woman’s garden. Lauren has no faith the police will investigate, considering their disinterest in her own father’s murder the year before. But when Lauren starts looking into the murders, she discovers a new power buried inside, while the town begins to splinter.
I really liked The Ghost Tree. It’s great to see coming-of-age horror written by women, which usually (wrongly) gets tagged as YA. Make no mistake, this book is not YA. The main character is a teenage girl, but there is a mix of POVs here, some adult, and it all works together really well.
At times, the writing was maybe a little too simplistic, but it didn’t take away from the overall enjoyment of the story. The plot is carried along well, and Henry keeps the reader really wondering how things might unfold. The characters are endearing and realistic, and I appreciated the relationship between the teenager Lauren and her mother. There are many things both get wrong, and because we see from both POVs, we can see how each makes their own decisions and views the other, how Lauren is struggling with everything going on around her and trying to deal with growing up, while her mother dotes on her wise-for-his-age little brother. They really push each other’s buttons, but as readers we know they both still care deeply about one another.
This portrayal felt very real, and one many can connect to on both sides. Lauren adored her father, and in her mind he could do no wrong, while her mother is trying to deal with bringing up two children on her own, and the idea her husband was sneaking out to have an affair on the night he was killed.
It's the relationships all around that make this is a really strong book, and Henry really captures the sensation of how lonely those crucial teenage years can be for girls, when you don’t yet know yourself and your friends are already boy-obsessed, with the contrasts between Lauren and her best friend, and the way they are drifting apart, portrayed really well.
The book is creepy and atmospheric, a solid coming-of-age horror that’ll have you gripped from the start.
Grade: A
Review by Elle Turpitt
I received this e-book from publisher Titan Books via NetGalley for review consideration.