Let me preface this review with two things:
#1: I have not read any Lovecraft.
#2: I have not read We Are All Completely Fine.
Does this make a difference in my opinion of the book? Probably. But I don’t think it’s too much of an issue, because no background information is necessary to understand what’s going on.
Harrison Harrison, or H², has just moved to Dunnsmouth, MA with his marine researcher mother. It doesn’t take him long to realize that something’s a bit off with the locals. Not only is the high school probably the weirdest place he’s ever been, but the students all look the same, speak some kind of silent language, and attend the same creepy church services. To top it all off, there’s no connection to the outside world, what with there being no cell phone signal or internet service in the area.
Shortly after arriving in Dunnsmouth, Harrison’s mother disappears in a freak accident similar to the one that took Harrison’s father (and Harrison’s leg) when he was just a small child. A whole host of interesting characters come into play as Harrison searches for his mother, determined to prove the local police wrong and uncover the conspiracy that’s clearly lurking within Dunnsmouth.
As a story, Harrison Squared is just fine. I can’t say it wowed me, but I can’t say that I disliked it, either. I found it hard to connect with most of the characters and couldn’t help but feel that something was missing throughout. Had it been a little creepier, or a if there was something more nefarious going on, I might have enjoyed it more. I actually felt that the ending was a bit of a letdown.
But that’s not to say that this is a bad book. It’s actually very well-written when it comes to language and how the plot flows. Unfortunately, this just wasn’t the right book for me at the time that I read it.
And like I said before, maybe if I were a big Lovecraft fan, or if I’d read We Are All Completely Fine, I would have enjoyed it more.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free copy.
For my 2015 reading challenge, I’m crossing off #10 a mystery or thriller.
Final rating: ★★★☆☆
The Bibliophagist 