The Haven

December 16, 2013
Haven Hospital & Halls exists in one of the more sadistic dystopias offered in the recent explosion of this niche—it’s an enclosed facility whose inmates, called Terminals, are kept drugged and indoctrinated, occasionally taken out for surgical mutilation, allegedly to stem the progression of the deadly disease infecting them. Shiloh, the narrator, has already lost a lung, and others have lost arms and legs. A brew called the Tonic keeps them quiescent and forgetful as they await their next operations. But Shiloh has an unusually strong memory, and one of “the males,” Gideon, has an unusually strong will. It takes half the book for these two to join forces, at which point the search for escape and answers begins. Therein lies the problem: the chemically lobotomized characters don’t know what is happening to them or why and lack the gumption to drive much discovery. Thus, while Williams (Waiting) painstakingly details their horrific days and hints of Shiloh’s awakening, the plot stagnates, and character development consists mostly of fear and confusion. Ages 13–up. Agent: Stephen Fraser, Jennifer de Chiara Literary Agency.

December 15, 2013
Shiloh lives with her fellow Terminals in a hospital that claims to protect them from the Disease that threatens them in this creepy dystopia about a doctor who uses children as commodities. As the story is told entirely from Shiloh's limited point of view, readers only slowly discover the true reason the children live such a controlled existence inside Haven Hospital & Halls, established in 2020. They have an excellent diet and eat prodigious amounts of food. The facility includes a good school with caring Teachers. Principal Harrison may be stern, but he appears to care for them. They have nice rooms, shared with a few other children, and lovely grounds. They may not, however, leave. Frequently, during their dining-hall lunches, Dr. King calls for a child by name. That child then goes to Treatment, sometimes to return, sometimes not. Blissfully ignorant Shiloh drops clues as to the hospital's true purpose for readers, and eventually, even she learns the truth and joins a group of student rebels. Williams, who is developing quite a varied repertoire, manages the information meted out by her deluded narrator with great skill. The simple but gripping focus on only one aspect of her dystopia sheds light on a moral question that young readers will have no difficulty answering: Are all people created equal--or not? Deliciously enigmatic. (Dystopian thriller. 12 & up)

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March 1, 2014
Grades 9-12 Established in 2020, Haven Hospital & Halls is the preeminent care facility for Terminals, children and teens with the Disease, which claims their bodies piece by piece until they can no longer survive. Highly monitored and isolated from the dangers of the world outside, Shiloh and her friends take their meds and do as they are told. When behavior aberrations among the usually docile Terminals begin to jog long-buried memories, Shiloh finally understands that Haven may not have their best interests in mind at all. Williams successfully employs an emotionally resonant first-person narrative to tell a story that is both horrific and uncomfortably plausible. While the world building feels frustratingly murky at times, the sparse writing effectively mirrors Shiloh's ignorance and helps build empathy for her as a realistic, highly conflicted young adult. Teens well versed in speculative fiction will find familiar themes of personal choice and the ethical dilemmas surrounding its absence, and this short, gripping novel makes them accessible to a wide audience.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)