A review by jejohnston
Hawk Mountain by Conner Habib

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

When I started Hawk Mountain, all I knew was what the book jacket explained: A father, Todd, and his son encounter the father's high school bully, Jack, on a beach one day. And the bully starts to insert himself into the protagonist's life as if there was never any bad blood between them. I was not prepared for what would transpire!

Hawk Mountain deals with internalized homophobia in such a deranged, frustrating, agonizing way. I was kind of hoping the book wouldn't go down that path (the bully turning out to be secretly gay seems stereotypical). But Conner Habib's writing is so mesmerizing that it felt like a new take on this trope. It explores two timelines (the high school timeline and present day) that peel back answers and insights into why things went horribly wrong with Jack and Todd.

This book is definitely not for the faint of heart! There's a reason why this ended up on my Weird Girl/Horror Booktok recommendations. There's violence and body horror that really turn your stomach. At the same time, it's hard to look away.
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