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A review by claudiaslibrarycard
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
The Reformatory is a must read, full stop. I stayed away from this book for quite sometime, because of the length and it's classification as horror. Oh how wrong I was. I flew through the 576 pages in three days, resenting everything I had to do in between reading sessions. Due tells an incredible story, rich with detail and propulsive.
This novel is the story of a boys home in Florida in 1950, where one of our main characters, Robbie Stephens, finds himself after kicking a white boy who harassed his older sister. Sentenced to six months, his sister Gloria is intent on finding help to get him out of this school which is known to abuse and often cause the deaths of young boys who are more the victims of racism and bad luck than guilty of crimes.
Soon after arriving at Gracetown School for Boys, Robbie begins seeing ghosts. He is befriended by Redbone and Blue who help him learn the rules and how to survive. Meanwhile, the haints are showing Robbie that this school has a past even darker than the school's reputation.
This is currently my favorite book of 2024 and I don't know how anything will top it. I cannot recommend this enough. Based on actual boys schools including the Dozier School for Boys, this novel brings important subjects to light in a book that just cannot be put down.
This novel is the story of a boys home in Florida in 1950, where one of our main characters, Robbie Stephens, finds himself after kicking a white boy who harassed his older sister. Sentenced to six months, his sister Gloria is intent on finding help to get him out of this school which is known to abuse and often cause the deaths of young boys who are more the victims of racism and bad luck than guilty of crimes.
Soon after arriving at Gracetown School for Boys, Robbie begins seeing ghosts. He is befriended by Redbone and Blue who help him learn the rules and how to survive. Meanwhile, the haints are showing Robbie that this school has a past even darker than the school's reputation.
This is currently my favorite book of 2024 and I don't know how anything will top it. I cannot recommend this enough. Based on actual boys schools including the Dozier School for Boys, this novel brings important subjects to light in a book that just cannot be put down.