When my daughters were much younger and still living to home we were big time X Files fans. Amber collected the DVD sets when they became available. One summer we marathon viewed every single episode. Every one of them, whether the phenomenon being investigated was possible alien visitation or demon possessed doll, had us entranced.
Agents Sculley and Mulder would have had a field day in the ironically named Splendor, Ohio, setting of Emily Henry's When The Sky Fell On Splendor.
"The night of the crash started like most of that summer: with the six of us, and one mouth-breathing border collie, crammed into Remy's clunky Geo Metro, rumbling down Old Crow Station Lane."
The narrative starts off deceptively normal. Other than the presence of the border collie, you have six teenagers cruising, maybe looking for excitement or at least anything other than the routines of daily life. They call themselves the Ordinary--basically good kids at the end of a summer. The reader can be excused for imagining that the crash alluded to will involve several motor vehicles or one car and a tree.
Only they haven't been ordinary for five years. The explosion of the local steel mill had wreaked havoc on Splendor. People who weren't injured or killed had loved ones who were. Narrator Franny's older brother has not woken up from a coma and her mother has run off. Remy's police officer father, the first first responder on the scene of the tragedy, lives with the constant pain of permanent injury. Nick, whose father was killed and mother became a recluse, carries the burden of supporting his family on Walmart wages.
Also the group is not just out joyriding. They're going headed for a run down abandoned house, intent on filming an episode for their anything but viral mockumentary YouTube channel. This episode will be on ghost hunting. They're hoping for a little filmable paranormal activity.
Shall we say they got a lot more than they'd bargained for?
It all starts with a meteor shower. The lights from a power station across the street from the house go out, followed by an explosion. When they jump the fence to investigate they lose six hours, waking up to a quite bizarre scene. The trees are full of agitated birds. Although they're surrounded by twisted metal a light producing mystery disc has vanished. And they all have bizarre scars.
The scars aren't all they've gained. Each has a strange new ability. Franny can make inanimate objects operate or shatter without touching them. Sofia can see through other beings' eyes. In fact one of them may be inhabited by an extraterrestrial.
Only this is something they're on their own to figure out. And the fact that they've trespassed on private property and could potentially be charged with more serious crimes is the least of their problems. If there's any alien possession going on the government may decide to experiment on them, disappearing them forever.
And it's not like the other challenges in their lives will temporarily take a rest while they're performing normal while in self preservation mode.
If you enjoy a plausible narrative where human nature combines with the at least appearance of the supernatural to create a rollercoaster ride of a read you owe it to yourself to acquire When The Sky Fell On Splendor, hopefully before Halloween. I'm going to send my girls a personal recommendation.
On a purrrsonal note, I'm really psyched about a volunteer project I'm doing for Upward Bound. In their suite they have a clothes room, a repository of items their students might need. During the school year many requests are made by computer. During the summer residential program it's in person. When Becky asked me to put the clothes back in the room after they were returned from the dorm they were still in bags and boxes. Although I was requested to simply restore order to the room I saw possibilities for real transformation. And my desire to transform has been green lighted.
1) Most of the items, donated by a thrift shop, are nothing teens would want to wear. I've started gleaning more adolescence appealing garments and networking to get help.
2) Although there's the space for clothes racks, there is only one large and one small bookcase and one tiny closet. Everything is squished together, making locating specific types of garments an archaeological dig for people who don't have a lot of time. I've starting to look for sturdy, inexpensive racks.
This is shaping up to be so much fun!!! (Jules)
Last night thunder woke me up. Rain was pouring and lightning was flashing. Luckily my people were safely sleeping and not out in that mess. (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to the Upward Bound full time staff, especially director Becky.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
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