Review by Booklist Review
Ward's latest may be her scariest yet. It's 1989, and Wilder, an awkward boy, spends the summer in Maine at his late uncle's oceanside cabin, quickly befriending Harper and Nat, who teach him about island life and the lore of the Dagger Man, who takes Polaroids of sleeping children with knives to their throats. Returning the next summer, Wilder cannot wait to see his friends before heading to college, until their lives are up ended forever by their part in the discovery of the horrific truth behind the Dagger Man. However, these revelations are just the start, as various versions of what happened are presented, one after the other, each slightly different than the last. The result is a physically unsettling reading experience both because of the uncomfortable stylistic choices Ward makes and how the story itself cannot be trusted until the very last page. A tale dripping with existential dread, one that asks readers to contemplate how they tell their own stories. For fans of psychological horror that incorporates the act of storytelling in its terrifying narrative, such as The Remaking (2019), by Clay McLeod Chapman, The Pallbearers Club (2022), by Paul Tremblay, or Plain Bad Heroines (2020), by emily m. danforth. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: On the heels of the success of Little Eve (2022) (not to mention a large print run), expect patrons to turn to Ward for late-summer chills.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Ward (The Last House on Needless Street) examines the blurred line between reality and fiction in her unsettling latest. The story opens in 1989: lonely teenager Wilder Harlow is summering with his parents on the coast of Maine, where he meets handsome local Nat Pelletier and wealthy British vacationer Harper. The three quickly bond over local legends of the Dagger Man, a killer who leaves behind Polaroids of his victims. One afternoon, the friends make a grisly discovery that tests their connection and gives Wilder a chronic case of anxiety, which he manages by obsessively writing about the Dagger Man. Decades later, after the friendship has dissolved, Wilder returns to Maine to write a memoir covering the events of that fateful summer. Once there, he's dogged by hallucinations, an unreliable memory, and a sense that he's caught himself in some sort of time loop when events from his book start manifesting in the present. Ward dazzles with her ability to deliver satisfying narrative surprises at nearly every turn, though the novel's metafictional layers can become tedious. Still, patient readers will be rewarded by a worthwhile conclusion--and likely motivated to read it all a second time. (Aug.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Ward's (Sundial) latest psychological thriller features multiple metafictional layers that hide many secrets. The first layer describes Wilder Harlow's story about his summer as a teen in Whistler Bay, from the friends he makes to the horror he encounters in the form of the Dagger Man, a mysterious figure terrorizing this small Maine village. There are also vows forged in blood, dead bodies discovered, and stories that grow beyond their teller's control. Wilder returns to Whistler Bay some 30 years later to reclaim his story, but he is haunted by visions of drowned women and a betrayal that still stings. Eventually, he comes to doubt his senses and his sanity. Ward once again delivers a novel that leaves listeners curious, if uneasy. Narrators Christopher Ragland and Katherine Fenton effectively portray the characters' frustration and fear, especially when they begin to question what's real and what isn't. This novel demands that listeners carefully sift through the details Ward doles out until the final mind-bending twist. VERDICT With an abundance of moving parts, Ward's multilayered tale is a delightful challenge for anyone who loves reverse-engineering their thrillers.--James Gardner
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