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A review by apoppyinthewind
Road to Nowhere by Christopher Pike
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I say this in the best way possible way, what the fuck? No, seriously what the fuck did I just read? The premise of the story is teen Teresa is taking the family car and running away from home when she picks up two good lucking but odd people named Freedom Jack & Poppy Corn hitch-hiking in the middle of a rainy night. Sounds like a solid horror set up, right? And it is, there is clearly something wrong with Freedom Jack (aka Free) & Poppy but they spend the entire car ride swapping stories with Teresa about why she's running away & a story about a couple named Jack & Dianne John & Candy.
Not a tribute to beloved comedian John Candy, at least I don't think so?
The sad story of John & Candy is clearly about Free & Poppy's past relationship, though poor Teresa is clueless to this. The night becomes more bizarre as Teresa drives Free & Poppy to visit Free's fortune telling "Mother" and Poppy's priest "Father". In the meanwhile Teresa is recounting her own sad love story that made her run away, finding herself drawn to Free, and, for some odd reason, starting to feel sick.
The reveal twist is (really, skip if you do not want to be spoiled) Teresa isn't actually running away and didn't pick up hitchhikers. She's in her bathtub at home bleeding out from slitting her wrist after discovering her boyfriend with her best friend. Free & Poppy were John & Candy but now they're ghosts who are basically playing the devil and angel on Teresa's shoulders. Free is trying to tempt Teresa into going to hell while Poppy is trying to lead Teresa to light and save her. Ultimately Poppy succeeds in helping Teresa and Free, bringing both to the light. Teresa survives her attempt, has a new perspective, and discovers the orderly at her bedside when she woke up is Johnny, the son of Poppy.
It was not where I thought the story was going but it's classic Pike to take a typical horror scenario and go into afterlife, spiritual territory. Teen me would have eaten this up. Adult me is amazed that this was published for teenagers in the 90s, what with the gore, drug use, multiple mentions of sex, and depiction of suicide. Not that I think these subjects should be avoided in YA, quite the opposite but this book is quite different from the YA I've read recently.
Would I recommend it? Hard to say, my nostalgia goggles are pretty tight for anything Christopher Pike and I only gave it 3 stars because the writing quality is mid. Yet, on the other hand I did just write 4 paragraphs for this review so it clearly left an impression. It is a product of the early 90s and a bizarre story so if you like 80s/90s YA horror, yes it's worth checking out if you see it secondhand somewhere or the local library still has a copy.
Not a tribute to beloved comedian John Candy, at least I don't think so?
The sad story of John & Candy is clearly about Free & Poppy's past relationship, though poor Teresa is clueless to this. The night becomes more bizarre as Teresa drives Free & Poppy to visit Free's fortune telling "Mother" and Poppy's priest "Father". In the meanwhile Teresa is recounting her own sad love story that made her run away, finding herself drawn to Free, and, for some odd reason, starting to feel sick.
The reveal twist is (really, skip if you do not want to be spoiled)
It was not where I thought the story was going but it's classic Pike to take a typical horror scenario and go into afterlife, spiritual territory. Teen me would have eaten this up. Adult me is amazed that this was published for teenagers in the 90s, what with the gore, drug use, multiple mentions of sex, and depiction of suicide. Not that I think these subjects should be avoided in YA, quite the opposite but this book is quite different from the YA I've read recently.
Would I recommend it? Hard to say, my nostalgia goggles are pretty tight for anything Christopher Pike and I only gave it 3 stars because the writing quality is mid. Yet, on the other hand I did just write 4 paragraphs for this review so it clearly left an impression. It is a product of the early 90s and a bizarre story so if you like 80s/90s YA horror, yes it's worth checking out if you see it secondhand somewhere or the local library still has a copy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail