Empty Heaven

Trigger Warnings: References to drugs, suicide, self-harm, sexual abuse, sexual acts and violence.

Kölsch has teens back fighting supernatural entities in her latest YA novel. Set in Kesuquosh [derived from a native Nipmuc word meaning Heaven], a deceptively idyllic small town in New England, it’s a blend of folk horror, witchery, nightmarish imagination and the monsters inside that are generated by trauma. Radiating with the influences of writers such as Shirley Jackson, Stephen King, Ursula Le Guin, H.P Lovecraft, George Orwell and Robert Frost, it is rich in literary references. With the psychologically disturbing elements of visceral horror movies The Wicker Man, Midsommar and Jennifer’s Body, interwoven throughout, it lives up to Kölsch’s tongue in cheek reference to mockumentary This is Spinal Tap – ‘turned up to ludicrous 11’.

Crackling with cinematic energy and high stakes jeopardy, this lengthy novel is suffused with sinister scarecrow imagery inspired by Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Partridge’s October Boy in Dark Harvest and the malignant 80’s character Pumpkinhead. Similar to Now Conjurers there is a brilliantly diverse cast, dominated by a motley crew of complex teen protagonists, Darian, KJ, Alex and Jasper, found family who are exploring their identities, being philosophical and dealing with insane realities.

Divided into three parts, its action spans from the Halloween of 2000 to 2001. Juxtaposing the real life horror of terrorist attacks with demonic possession and interspersed with traumatic flashbacks to Darian’s time in New York dropped into a soundtrack of 90’s grunge music, Kölsch explores concepts like ‘the greater good’, societal norms, gender and coercive control.

As the teens undergo a quest to reclaim what they have lost and face their demons, the author evokes a real sense of place. Unfortunately, the book loses tension and suspense at certain points by revealing too much and overindulging in soul searching and verbosity. Readers would be wise not to read the blurb as it detracts from the speculation at the start as the villagers gather for the Harvest Hallow. A celebration of queer friendship amidst mind blowing horror, Empty Heaven is macabre, dreamlike and absurdly romantic.

Kölsch hopes that her book ‘will encourage adolescents to engage in any conversation where they feel comfortable discussing themselves on a deep level – their gender, their sexuality, their core beliefs, their ethics, and their passions; and to also question what they actually think and feel about power, and the way that leadership is wielded, for better and worse.’