Review by Kirkus Book Review
In this contemporary drama a young woman meets her father, a psychopathic killer, for the first time. High school senior Scarlet is a good student and aspiring filmmaker with an overprotective mom. She manages bouts of anxiety with medication--and sometimes with weed--and struggles to feel worthy of guys' attention. These commonplace worries take a sudden back seat when the FBI arrives at her door and her mother is forced to reveal the truth: Scarlet is actually the daughter of a notorious serial killer, and they've been in hiding since his arrest and trial 16 years before. This fantastical premise and Scarlet's wry but vulnerable observations are compelling. Her relationship with her mom and reintroduction to her extended family are moving. There is a chilling intensity to Scarlet's visits with her father, who is terminally ill and says he will disclose the names of additional victims only to Scarlet and only if she'll agree to see him. Online articles and posts about her dad embellish the first-person narrative. A romantic subplot feels a bit tacked on at times, though the juxtaposition of the horrific details of sexual violence her father tortures her by relaying and the healthy, affirming sexual experiences Scarlet has underscores her progress in gaining confidence and understanding herself as a person who is not defined by her father's evil. Scarlet and her family are White; there is some racial diversity in secondary characters. A gripping, thoughtful, and at times disturbing psychological thriller. (Thriller. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
