Scowler

Three dolls from Ry Burke’s childhood come to life and he is forced to reckon with a resurrected trauma so wicked, I secretly wished Mr. Furrington, Jesus Christ and Scowler would do or say anything to rescue this gentle Iowa farm boy from his agony.  A blurred storyline made me question whether this excellent piece of fiction was more of a horror tale or a mental illness tale.  Most surprising to me was the compassion I started to feel for the monster responsible for the trauma.  Read by the exceptionally talented Kirby Heyborne, this winner of the American Library Association’s 2014 Odyssey Award is a psychological masterpiece that guarantees much squirming and shrieking.