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A review by ambroserr
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I added this to my list because it was on NYT's best books of 2023 list, and started it because I was looking for something a little scarier after finishing The Haunting of Hill House. It didn't take me long to realize exactly what a Jim Crow-era ghost story might entail (big big big trigger warnings for racism, child abuse, etc), but by then I was invested in Gloria and Robert's story, and had to see things through, no matter what hell Due was planning to show me. (As it was based on the true story of the Dozier School for Boys, I felt I also owed it to those whose lives were destroyed in such places.)
The places she takes us are genuinely terrifying. While there is, of course, a "bad guy" that our young protagonists face, the monster underneath everything, curdling the town around them, is a system. And this novel does an amazing job of communicating just how frightening and oppressive the world can become if the weight of that system turns against you.
While the story is fictional, it feels deeply researched and historical, and reminded me a bit of The Handmaid's Tale; an amalgam of real-world cruelties that is all too realistic. There were also shades of To Kill A Mockingbird in the legal details, but that falls away fairly early on, when the courts of Gracetown seem offended that Gloria would dare contest her brother's "light" sentence. Her side of the story, while still tinged with the supernatural, is about her bravery, determination, and resilience as she navigates the dangers of the Jim Crow South while trying to free her brother. There are ghosts and premonitions for her, too, but it quickly becomes clear to her that the mundane failures of bureaucracy and the prejudices she unwittingly stirs are more immediately threatening.
Robbie's side of things is more classically haunted, as he immediately discovers the reformatory to be awash in spirits. The mechanics of the haints as Due describes them are fascinating, and the stories they reveal are terrible. Robbie manages to find some friends early on, and does his best to dodge trouble from ghosts and the living alike, but soon collides with patently unfair systems and is made to bear the consequences. His ability to communicate with spirits becomes a rickety shield against violence, but entangles him with larger forces who have their own ends.
The later chapters of this book featured some of the most tense, thrilling, dread-filled fiction I can remember reading. Unlike most ghost stories, the terror is human, and just behind, enabled and tacitly approved by structures of racial and political power. It's frankly terrifying, and the stakes feel incredibly high due to this real world grounding. Robbie and Gloria go through many harrowing things, and rise to the occasion largely because there is no one there to help, so they must become their own heroes. They rely on each other, and on the spiritual support of those who went before them, and all of it is barely enough to keep going. The overall effect of it is almost tangible, and feels like a vivid and realistic emotional portrayal of the profoundly brave things done by Black Americans to survive and escape racial violence. I won't forget that feeling anytime soon.
The places she takes us are genuinely terrifying. While there is, of course, a "bad guy" that our young protagonists face, the monster underneath everything, curdling the town around them, is a system. And this novel does an amazing job of communicating just how frightening and oppressive the world can become if the weight of that system turns against you.
While the story is fictional, it feels deeply researched and historical, and reminded me a bit of The Handmaid's Tale; an amalgam of real-world cruelties that is all too realistic. There were also shades of To Kill A Mockingbird in the legal details, but that falls away fairly early on, when the courts of Gracetown seem offended that Gloria would dare contest her brother's "light" sentence. Her side of the story, while still tinged with the supernatural, is about her bravery, determination, and resilience as she navigates the dangers of the Jim Crow South while trying to free her brother. There are ghosts and premonitions for her, too, but it quickly becomes clear to her that the mundane failures of bureaucracy and the prejudices she unwittingly stirs are more immediately threatening.
Robbie's side of things is more classically haunted, as he immediately discovers the reformatory to be awash in spirits. The mechanics of the haints as Due describes them are fascinating, and the stories they reveal are terrible. Robbie manages to find some friends early on, and does his best to dodge trouble from ghosts and the living alike, but soon collides with patently unfair systems and is made to bear the consequences. His ability to communicate with spirits becomes a rickety shield against violence, but entangles him with larger forces who have their own ends.
The later chapters of this book featured some of the most tense, thrilling, dread-filled fiction I can remember reading. Unlike most ghost stories, the terror is human, and just behind, enabled and tacitly approved by structures of racial and political power. It's frankly terrifying, and the stakes feel incredibly high due to this real world grounding. Robbie and Gloria go through many harrowing things, and rise to the occasion largely because there is no one there to help, so they must become their own heroes. They rely on each other, and on the spiritual support of those who went before them, and all of it is barely enough to keep going. The overall effect of it is almost tangible, and feels like a vivid and realistic emotional portrayal of the profoundly brave things done by Black Americans to survive and escape racial violence. I won't forget that feeling anytime soon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Murder, Physical abuse, Grief, and Hate crime
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault and Pedophilia