Penpal

If you're into mysteries, creepy stalkers, and photography, this is your jam!

This is a deeply unsettling book that is absolutely terrifying. It's not scary like a story about a monster or vampire or something. It's scary because it can, and does, happen.

The protagonist tells the story of what happened in his childhood, pieced together from his memories, conversations with his mom, research, and some speculation. His kindergarten class sent out balloons with letters attached, asking whoever finds the balloon to write back. When the protagonist gets a response, it's just a weird polaroid photo. Then the photos keep coming. Eventually, it becomes clear that the person who found the balloon is obsessed with him.

So it's a story about a stalker, a mother's atttempt to protect her son, and her son's continuous sabotaging of those efforts because he didn't understand the danger. But it's also about fear and shame and about memory, how the things we remember are combinations of things we actually recall, things we remember being told, and things our minds invent to fill in the gaps.

As the story goes on, those gaps are filled in, understandings are changed, and each time that happens, the situation gets scarier and scarier. This novel is brilliantly written and very effective. If I had children, after reading this I don't think I would ever let them leave the house.