eric_o reviewed The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
Masterpiece
5 stars
The best book I have read this year.
Paperback, 576 pages
Published Oct. 31, 2023 by Titan Books.
The Reformatory
- ISBN:
- 978-1-80336-653-1
Copied ISBN!
4 stars
(11 reviews)
Jim Crow Florida, 1950.
Twelve-year-old Robert Stephens Jr., who for a trivial scuffle with a white boy is sent to The Gracetown School for Boys. But the segregated reformatory is a chamber of horrors, haunted by the boys that have died there.
In order to survive the school governor and his Funhouse, Robert must enlist the help of the school’s ghosts – only they have their own motivations…
Amber Herbert reviewed The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
Three Parts Historical Fiction, One Part Horror
4 stars
The Reformatory might be marketed as a horror/thriller, but it's much more than a tale of terrors in the Jim Crow South. Told from multiple perspectives, usually sticking to Gloria and Robbie Stephens, Due provides a nuanced and honest story of family, friendship, injustice, prejudice, and human rights. While there are horror elements, the novel would sit more comfortably in historical fiction. Many of the terrors are monstrous (and delivered by men) but others are supernatural, lending a magical realism to the narrative that wouldn't be there otherwise. Despite the content and tone, Due provides hope and light.
While I enjoyed the prose and found the story compelling, it went on about 150 pages too long. The characters were about 80% actualized, creating a slight disconnect between me and the Stephens children. This ultimately came down to middling arcs, a fault that could have been remedied by extending the span …
The Reformatory might be marketed as a horror/thriller, but it's much more than a tale of terrors in the Jim Crow South. Told from multiple perspectives, usually sticking to Gloria and Robbie Stephens, Due provides a nuanced and honest story of family, friendship, injustice, prejudice, and human rights. While there are horror elements, the novel would sit more comfortably in historical fiction. Many of the terrors are monstrous (and delivered by men) but others are supernatural, lending a magical realism to the narrative that wouldn't be there otherwise. Despite the content and tone, Due provides hope and light.
While I enjoyed the prose and found the story compelling, it went on about 150 pages too long. The characters were about 80% actualized, creating a slight disconnect between me and the Stephens children. This ultimately came down to middling arcs, a fault that could have been remedied by extending the span of the novel to a couple weeks or a month rather than about a week.
I recommend The Reformatory to anyone seeking stories set in the Jim Crow South or historical fiction with a dash of horror.
Erin reviewed Reformatory by Tananarive Due
Review of 'Reformatory' on 'Goodreads'
I was so looking forward to a new book from Tananarive Due! I enjoyed her books The Good House and The Between. But the time period of this one was not working for me, and I got the vibe that the supernatural would be pretty minimal. I was also dreading a dual POV story where it was clear that one of the POVs was going to be much more engaging than the other.
I’m glad the book is doing so well, but this one is not for me.
