Now this is one I have a dim memory of reading when younger, but not actually understanding the story. Heaven only knows why as it seems perfectly logical as an adult!
In this book, we are set on the isolated Sebastian Island, off the coast of Oregon. Our leading lady is Becky who is hired as mother's help to Mrs. Nelson to help care for her son Devon. Our leading man and love interest for our lady is Cleve (Cleave? Cleaver?), who rents the cabin out that the three are staying in.
Isolation is the key in this story – the island is surrounded by sea and the cabin is surrounded by woodland and Becky is isolated from other people by Mrs Nelson's rules.
We also have the typical device of the leading lady being off familiar territory and absent parents. Do any parents actually stay at home in these books?!?!
This is a story that comes into the “what's going on?” category. Up to chapter 23 it is not clear why Devon must be hidden, nor why Mrs Nelson is so odd and incapable with Devon. However, in true Point Horror style, when the action starts it is wrapped up quickly.
At 37 chapters long, this initially seems to be a behemoth, but some of the chapters are only a page long. I think this is unusual for Point Horror, but in a book where the action takes a long time to get going, it does break the narrative up and gives mini cliff hangers all the way through.
The story also takes a typical job an average teenager may take for the summer and turns it into a nightmare. This is a link to the reader's reality as it is possible that something like this could happen. As opposed to time travelling beach huts, perfumes that awake the dead and such like which are in current scientific thought, impossible. Although if this blog is still extant in 200 years time, you could be sniggering at the ignorance of those in 2010 :D
Approaching chapter 33 we have the action beginning as the danger gets closer to Becky and Mrs Nelson. Cleverly, by chapter 35 the whole story is spun around and those who we (and Becky) think are on our side are not and those who we thought were danger are actually our good guys. All these twists back to back confuse the reader probably as well as it does Becky!
Cleve is the only character apart from Becky who doesn't change. We have moments of doubt where Cleve is concerned when he asks odd questions. Despite his “odd” questions, I don't feel that there is any point where we think Cleve is the bad guy. Just a weird guy. Maybe you read different?
Cleve serves the purpose of Becky's link to the outside world and that of love interest. It's a nice separate arc to the main plot of the story. It makes for a typical ending girl gets the boy, but then, this is teenage fiction and a bit of romance never really hurts in this genre.
One criticism I have is of Becky's naivety in letting Mrs Nelson escape. This is a woman who has attempted to kill and has kidnapped a baby and yet Becky lets her go thinking Mrs Nelson will be able to work her issues out.
As a literary device, I can see the point of this as at the start of the story Becky has issues over her ex boyfriend and ex best friend Jason and Sarah so as Becky lets go of her past and falls for Cleve, Mrs Nelson also gets another chance at life and letting go of her relationship issues. But really! It is naïve and bordering on the irresponsible.
I doubt Mrs Nelson got far anyway in all honesty as Sebastian Island is small and chances are Mr Nelson would have wanted to press charges. Would you let an ex partner get away with snatching your baby and trying to kill you? Mmmm.... I can't see this happening in reality, but I forget – THIS IS POINT HORROR!!
Looking back, I can't see why I didn't understand this story when younger. Maybe it's the Americanization I keep finding in these books. Or maybe I just read the book backwards! Either way, that doesn't hold true for adulthood.
The names Devon and Cleve are odd, at least to someone who is English. I wonder how A. Bates picked these names? And come to think of it, what does the A stand for? Ah-ha! Now that is a mystery!
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