The Keening

March 22, 2010
Set in northern Maine in 1918, the year of the influenza pandemic, LaFaye's (Water Steps
) compact novel is infused with the spirit of death. Fourteen-year-old Lyza's parents have raised her in an unconventional manner; the family sleeps and eats to its own rhythms. Pater, while mentally unbalanced, is a gifted sculptor, and Mater plays the cello, bakes, and sews beautifully. Lyza deeply loves her family and home in their small coastal town—“The comforts of it had soaked in soul deep.... sights like our house standing on the high grass plain between the glen of sugar maples and the forest made me feel safe”—but yearns for a talent of her own. Early on, Mater succumbs to influenza, and Lyza must confront her fear of travel to fight relatives who want to have Pater committed. During her journey to get help, she discovers her singular gift. LaFaye explores the thin line between artistry and mental illness and offers visions of dead spirits in darkly lyrical language that makes for a powerful and unsettling book, best appreciated by older preteens and teens. Ages 8–13.

June 1, 2010
Gr 6-9-At age 15, Lyza knows there's something different about her family. Her father, a sculptor viewed by many in their Maine fishing village as insane, relies entirely on his wife for daily care. When the 1918 influenza epidemic claims her mother, Lyza fears for Pater and their way of life. It soon becomes apparent that his genius extends beyond the natural world; he communes with spirits to fulfill the wishes of departing souls. The teen begins to have her own visions, accepts her supernatural inheritance, and uses it to protect her father and their home. LaFaye begins the novel in the deepest, darkest parts of Lyza's mind and then drags readers through a dizzying succession of thoughts, actions, and ideas. There is no time to become invested in any one character, and the plot takes a lot of unnecessary twists and turns. Readers interested in ghost stories may pick this one up after exhausting other options, but this title will otherwise be a hard sell."Sara Saxton, Tuzzy Consortium Library, Barrow, AK"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2010
Grades 7-10 A dreamlike quality flows through this novel set during the influenza pandemic of 1918, and its a style that will hinder some readers even as it enthralls others. These poetic attributes also lend a timelessness; even though the story takes place nearly a century ago, it feels easily transferable to modern times. The plot follows 14-year-old Lyza, the daughter of two eccentrics living on the borders of a small Maine town. When her beloved Mater is suddenly struck down with influenza, Lyza is left with a difficult decision: head to the big city of Portland to take a college entrance exam (like Mater wouldve wanted), or stay behind to help Pater, an artist seemingly incapable of rudimentary tasks such as eating and paying bills. Hes also a man who saw angels in meteorswhat seems like just another example of his detachment before the plot makes a surprising supernatural swerve. This mature, challenging work is bleak, but haunting in its careful use of suggestion and nuance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)