The Shattering by Karen Healey
Allen and Unwin, 2011. ISBN 9781741758818.
(Age 13+) Recommended. I love a good mystery and when I read the
blurb on the back of The Shattering I knew that I was going
to read something different. Keri has a plan for what to do if a
member of her family was murdered. 'It went:
1. Find the killer.
2. Make sure that they were guilty.
3. Destroy them. Completely.'
Keri's older has committed suicide and Keri is devastated. She just
can't believe that Jake would do that. When Janna and rich boy
Sione, who have also lost brothers through suicide, come up with a
theory that young boys are being murdered she is all too ready to
accept it. Together they start researching and a pattern that
indicated foul play, begins to emerge. But what happens when they
get too close to the truth?
The idyllic setting of Summerton, in the South Island of New
Zealand, provides a beautiful but occasionally sinister background
as Keri and her friends investigate the increasingly frightening
events that unfold. Why does no one ever leave Summerton? How does
it survive when other coastal towns face financial disaster?
Healey's first book, Guardian of the dead was a fantasy, but
in this one, although she has some paranormal elements, including
witchcraft, she concentrates very successfully on the murder
mystery. Janna has dabbled in witchcraft, but the local coven
wouldn't accept her. When she suggests that magic may play a part in
the mystery, Keri is sceptical, but is willing to search out the
truth.
An array of characters and descriptions of family life enrich this
novel. Healey portrays a family almost coming apart from the stress
of a suicide: Keri's mother is over-protective and can't bear to
face Christmas. Keri copes by having a plan for every eventuality
even though she knows objectively that that can't work. Sione has
lived in the shadow of his brother and is struggling to emerge and
Janna opts for a high profile to hide any inadequacies.
Woven throughout the mystery story are the themes of suicide, living
in a sibling's shadow and grief. These and other teen issues are
handled well by Healey who is certainly an author whose work I will
continue to seek out. Links to information about suicide are given
at the end.
It is recommended for teens who like mysteries with authentic
characters and plenty of suspense.
Pat Pledger