The Smaller Evil

May 23, 2016
With his drug-addicted father in and out of jail and his neglectful mother wishing him out of the house, 17-year-old Arman seeks solace and guidance in Beau, a charismatic adult who promises a way to free Arman from his feelings of inadequacy. Arman joins Kira, a fellow classmate, and Dale, her boyfriend, on a retreat with Beau. Instead of the campsite expected, the three find themselves on the Evolve compound, a center of more than 100 devotees committed to uncovering their truest selves through exercises that challenge their abilities and memories. When the compound’s leader disappears and factions within the camp turn ugly, Arman, Kira, and Dale must decide whether they are being manipulated and how to escape. Balancing Arman’s experience with Beau’s inner thoughts, Kuehn (Delicate Monsters) elevates the religious cult novel with this sophisticated psychological mystery centered on the concept of the double effect—that the “greater good outweighs the smaller evil.” Though certain characters are more archetypal than three-dimensional, the book’s philosophical undertones and uncertain ending are transfixing. Ages 14–up. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

May 15, 2016
Strange occurrences at a secluded self-help retreat threaten 17-year-old Arman's already fragile mental healthFor as long as he can remember, Arman has taken medications for numerous chronic physical and emotional ailments. So when Beau, a reassuring but mysterious man, invites Arman to a healing retreat in the hills of Big Sur, he accepts. He's nervous but eager for a chance to move beyond his sense of brokenness. At the retreat compound, Arman is among strangers, except for his classmate Kira, a black girl who is the daughter of a famous civil rights attorney, and her boyfriend, Dale. Like Arman and most of the other characters, Dale is white. Arman is at once comforted and confused by Beau's interest in him and by his encounters with a beautiful girl, a cook at the compound. But talk of "inoculation" and "quarantine" and the program's other odd rituals unnerve Arman, as effectively conveyed in Kuehn's third-person narration. When Beau disappears, Arman is the only witness to what may have been a murder or a suicide--he's not sure which, because he can't remember exactly what happened. Arman's tale of self-discovery is woven into the bigger mystery of Beau's fate, but the result of the latter is less than enthralling. More gripping is the insightful and empathetic look into the mind of a teen struggling to heal.Rich prose and a complex main character salvage this suspenseful but less-than-satisfying mystery. (Thriller. 14-18)

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Starred review from June 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-High school senior Arman Dukoff is in serious need of help. He hates his awkwardness, his social timidity, and how he feels trapped in his own head. When he meets Beau, who seems to see so much more potential within Arman, the protagonist jumps at the chance to follow him and his group. Once at the Compound, though, Arman is confronted by a confusing whirlwind of incomprehensible rituals and strangely technical jargon-but most confusing of all is Beau's sudden disappearance during the program. Arman is devastated not just because of Beau's insistent, optimistic belief in his potential but also due to a mysterious encounter they had right before he went missing. The teen is determined to find his friend and get answers-about Beau and himself. Young fans of the hairpin plot twists and turns of psychological thrillers will be drawn to Kuehn's latest offering. In particular, readers familiar with her previous titles will find echoes of similar themes at work here-a teenage male protagonist who is also an unreliable narrator. Kuehn's specialty in depicting mental illness and her sharp, quick writing are on display in her latest novel, but it is her satirical integration of New Age hippie rituals with the pseudoscientific jargon of the self-help retreat world that is the most compelling addition. VERDICT Fans of the author's work will find familiar material in this book. Readers interested in a Gillian Flynn-style take on cults and self-help retreats will also be intrigued.-Evelyn Khoo Schwartz, Georgetown Day School, Washington, DC

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2016
Grades 9-12 Arman quickly agreed to spend a week at Beau's campground in the California mountains, a place he believed would help him solve his myriadand acutely realproblems. But while the charismatic man's homily of social order sickness and cultural syndromes initially made sense, in the confines of the compound, surrounded by Beau's followers and their intense, vaguely mystical rhetoric, Arman's not as convinced. After a difficult night of confrontational therapy, he's had enough and decides to split. On his walk home, though, he discovers Beau's bloodied body and quickly returns to the compound for help. Only, once he gets everyone's attention, Beau's body and the van it was in are nowhere to be seen, and Arman is missing a few hours of memory. Kuehn effectively builds a confounding, cult-like atmosphere in the compound and a convincing conspiracy swirling around Arman's experiences. While the ultimate pay-off leaves quite a few questions frustratingly unanswered, the eerie atmosphere of the compound, Kuehn's skillful hand at characterization, and the twisty scheme should nonetheless hook readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)