Bonechiller

Danny, a Canadian teenager whose mother has recently died, accompanies his father from one dead-end job to another. As the story opens, his father is working as a winter caretaker at a marina ‘tucked away in the Big Empty that makes up most of Canada’. In this remote location, Danny and his three friends – all ‘army brats’ from the nearby military base – spend much of their time speeding around the frozen dirt roads in a rusty old car. But the cold wilderness hides an indistinct, monstrous creature which preys on teenagers, both physically and mentally. Danny and his young friend, Howie, fall victim to the beast, as many have before, and have only a few days to find how to escape its malign influence.

There is little idealisation of either setting or human behaviour in this novel. The snow-covered landscape, far from being romantic, is particularly hostile, made worse by ‘tumbleweeds of trash frozen in the muck’. All the central characters have some psychological baggage. Grieving for his mother, Danny ‘feels like hitting something’, while Howie explains that he suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). In describing these characters, the text is frank in its references to teenage sexuality and in the language used. The surrounding story occupies ground between ancient myth and sordid modernity, exemplified by the father of Ash, Danny’s half-Indian would-be girlfriend. As a soldier, he has witnessed the outcome of ethnic cleansing in the Balkans. As an Indian, he recounts the story of the Windigo, the mythological creature summoned by the native Canadians to repel the white settlers – and which may be the beast that is stalking Danny.

Although ultimately we are left guessing as to the identity of the creature, the book is a gripping read, enhanced by a precise sense of place. More issues are raised than settled, but this contributes to the uncomfortable, edgy narrative. The central characters are well drawn and, despite their flaws, very likeable. Overall, this is an exciting, engaging and occasionally frightening book for older teenagers.