Hollow

Gr 8 Up–Midsommar meets Puppet Master in this folk horror debut. Cassie, an autistic 17-year-old with trichotillomania, has returned to her hometown with her mom after a disastrous four years in New York City. In an attempt to reconnect with old friends, she agrees to go on an off-grid hiking trip. The first night out, the group argues, gets separated, and Cassie finds herself injured and relying on the kindness of a group of “artists” who live in a remote village. Cassie feels a deep connection to one of the boys there, but he may not be all he seems. Can she forget the promise she made to her best friend Jac not to run away again? With a creepingly eerie plot, this story gets off to a slow start, especially as it isn’t a short novel. The folk horror elements are all there: being far from civilization and help; characters who feel a sense of belonging while readers are screaming, “Get out of there!”; and really creepy art. The book contains underage drinking and swearing; the romance isn’t explicit.