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Philip Fracassi - Blog Posts
BOYS IN THE VALLEY by PHILIP FRACASSI (A REVIEW)
quickly: a visitor in the night brings chaos to a catholic boy’s orphanage (a young priest in training / a dark child with many faces / contamination and contagion / evil whispering / demonic entities and unclean spirits / scarred bodies and souls / solitary confinement / starvation as punishment / founding fathers / crosses falling from walls / good vs evil, light vs dark / the compelling power of christ / the cleansing power of fire).
The snow of a brutal winter storm starts to fall, and like “The Long Night”, a battle between the world’s oldest forces begins. As the few adults in charge become increasingly debilitated, the fate of all the lives at the orphanage is left to the oldest teenage boys who must gather their limited life experiences to fight against incredible odds.
This is classic horror, of the demonic excorcism variety. No comedic relief, no quirky literary devices, and no rushed ending. I’m surprised this doesn’t have a Stephen King endorsement review, as they seem to be given out generously. (But I’ll take an introduction by Andy Davidson over a Stephen King review any day!) For a coming-of-age novel, it is remarkably honest about the hardships of abuse, abandonment, and death. Honest displays of grief and trauma, especially in horror stories, require a delicate hand. The plotting and navigating of these themes was well done.
★ ★ ★ ★