Genre: Horror/Historical
Release Date: October 31st, 2023
Pages: 576
Publisher: Gallery Books
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Publisher’s Synopsis:
“Gracetown, Florida
June 1950
Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie’s journey further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real horror of the school they call The Reformatory.
Robbie has a talent for seeing ghosts, or haints. But what was once a comfort to him after the loss of his mother has become a window to the truth of what happens at the reformatory. Boys forced to work to remediate their so-called crimes have gone missing, but the haints Robbie sees hint at worse things. Through his friends Redbone and Blue, Robbie is learning not just the rules but how to survive. Meanwhile, Gloria is rallying every family member and connection in Florida to find a way to get Robbie out before it’s too late.
The Reformatory is a haunting work of historical fiction written as only American Book Award–winning author Tananarive Due could, by piecing together the life of the relative her family never spoke of and bringing his tragedy and those of so many others at the infamous Dozier School for Boys to the light in this riveting novel.”
My Review:
I’m so conflicted about this one because I wanted to love it so much and there were parts that I definitely did. From the moment I saw the cover and read the synopsis I was so looking forward to reading it. The setting is impeccably crafted. And I really enjoyed the supernatural elements. It’s quite an emotional read, as the characters and community have so many injustices and travesties to overcome. My biggest issue with this story is the pacing. It is a long book (576 pages) and I just didn’t feel like it really needed to be. I enjoyed Robbie’s storyline much more so than Gloria’s. Honestly, for the majority of the book Gloria’s parts felt really unnecessary to the plot as a whole. I think if the majority of her chapters had been cut from the book, it would have greatly improved my reading experience. The things that Robbie and the other boys have endured and are still enduring are truly terrible and heart-wrenching. But much of this book really dragged for me, it was very slow. I just think the story would have been a much more impactful read for me if I hadn’t felt as bogged down and bored for so much of it.
Disclaimers:
Huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me an early copy of this amazing story! I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Have you read this book? Planning to add it to your TBR?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
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