Sophie

July 7, 2003
Haunting, enigmatic and suspenseful, Burt's second novel (after The Hole) is a tightly woven tale of psychological horror, in which two children shape and destroy their small world. Sophie and Matthew live in a large house in rural England with a distant, mentally ill mother and a father who comes and goes. The remoteness of both of their caretakers allows the children complete freedom to fill their days as they wish, usually with long rambling walks in the woods, digging in the nearby abandoned quarry and exploring abandoned farms. Sophie's extraordinary brilliance means she can easily manipulate the adults in her life—at school, on tests and at home. Over the course of six years—from the time Sophie is seven and Mattie five—Burt tantalizes the reader with unsettling glimpses of Sophie's cunning, disturbing plans and shows how Mattie follows Sophie's lead with the love and admiration of a younger sibling. Narrated in part by an adult Sophie and Mattie 20 years later, the novel cleverly shifts perspective more than once, leading up to an explosive series of final twists. Mattie is forced to see Sophie for who she was as a child and himself for the adult he has become. At the dark denouement, the reader will be tempted to start the book over again to see just how Burt wrought this ingenious tale. (July)Forecast:Prolific as well as precocious, Burt wrote
The Hole at 18 and
Sophie at 19. Fans of William Golding and J.G. Ballard might profitably be steered to his novels.

June 1, 2003
Burt's first novel, The Hole, published when he was 18, delved into the emotional lives of five teens trapped together for days. In Sophie, he embarks on a similar exploration with sibling protagonists who are trapped in a relationship as claustrophobic as it is protective and loving. As the book opens, an adult Mattie is holding Sophie captive. Incapable of moving on with his life, Mattie needs Sophie to listen as he attempts to piece together and understand the life-altering events of their childhood. Because Sophie is two years older, all Mattie's memories are of their lives in tandem. From as far back as he can remember, Sophie was there, guiding, protecting, and controlling him. In a spare and subtle style, Burt ratchets up the suspense, already inherent in Sophie's immediate danger, with a dreamlike narration that takes the reader deeper into Mattie's tainted and troubling childhood. This psychological thriller is recommended for most public libraries.-Jane Jorgenson, Madison P.L., WI

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.