Loving, Ohio

Gr 10 Up–The fictional town of Loving, Ohio, has always presented itself as a place where hope and love reign, mostly through the local religious organization known as The Chorus. Made up of many prominent townspeople, The Chorus has their hands in everything. When a high school senior dies by suicide, his surviving friends believe that The Chorus, who they know more as a dangerous cult, will spin their friend’s death to show why people should join them. At the memorial service, things go completely off into a murderous, chaotic nightmare that has the friends running for their lives and ultimately trying to leave Ohio for good. Erman is crafting a coming-of-age story and allows his experiences growing up in Ohio to shine through. Bringing a dark, supernatural element into the narrative keeps the pacing brisk and shows again how tragedy can be skewed for the public. Beck has chosen a muted palette for most of the book, only allowing the pages to explode with color during violence and death. Fellow Ohio residents will easily pick up on specific references to the pacing of life and the culture that shows up there, but it may be missed by others.