A review by djgroupi
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

My first read of the year and also one of last year's top horror novels. I was completely riveted from the first page.

A haunting and heartbreaking story that takes place in Jim Crow Florida and follows a young boy named Robert Stephens Jr. who is unjustly sent to an all-boys reform school for trying to protect his older sister from the unwanted advances of redneck Lyle McCormack. Little does he know the ghastly horrors he will experience and the haints (ghosts) that inhabit the place that won't leave him alone until they get their justice. 

This book was very well-written and I had extreme anxiety throughout, especially as I neared the end, afraid of what the outcome would be. Definitely a horror classic and one that I will always highly recommend. 

Although this was a work of fiction, this story was based on the true account of the author's uncle, Robert Stephens, who died at the Dozier School for Boys in Florida. 
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