Reprieve : A Novel, by James Han Mattson, (Oct. 2021, William Morrow), $27.99, ISBN: 9780063079915
Ages 16+
Set in 1997 in Nebraska and taking place largely in a full-contact escape room, Reprieve is a horror/thriller that you want to devour – and yet, you don’t, because there’s so much to think over as you read. Kendra is a teenager uprooted after her father is killed in a car accident; moving to Nebraska with her mother and living with her aunt, Rae, and her cousin, Bryan, Kendra finds a job at a local escape room called Quigley House, a full-contact escape room promising terror – and cash – to those who complete it. John Forrester, the owner of the house, is a little bit on the creepy side, and is absolutely a manipulative, casual racist and not-so-casual sexist, but could he be responsible for murder? That’s the question at the heart of Reprieve, a story told in court documents and alternating points of view from the rest of the characters in the room that fateful night: Kendra, a Black teenager; Leonard, a white male hotel manager with a history of obsessive behavior who stands accused of murder; Jaidee, a gay Thai college student in love with a former English teacher – and the deceased’s college roommate; Victor, the English teacher, and his fiancee, Jane, who wanted desperately to win this game and collect the prize money. As the story unfolds, we’re confronted with casual, everyday racism and stereotyping that culminates in a horrifying crime. Social criticism, horror, well-developed characters and a consuming narrative with taut pacing, this is a book to give teens as well as your thriller/horror/suspense readers. Imagine what Jordan Peele could do with this book.
Reprieve has a starred review from Booklist.
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