The Corruption of Hollis Brown
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- 14,99 €
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- 14,99 €
Publisher Description
From acclaimed author K. Ancrum comes a queer romantic thriller in which the lives of Hollis, a boy in search of meaning, and Walt, a spirit with unfinished business, collide when Walt takes possession of Hollis's body...and maybe his heart. For fans of Adam Silvera and Aiden Thomas! Now in paperback!
A School Library Journal 2025 Stars So Far list pick!
Hollis Brown is stuck. Born to a blue-collar American Dream, Hollis lives in a rotting small town where no one can afford to leave. Hollis's only bright spots are his two best friends, cool girls Annie and Yulia, and the thrill of fighting his classmates.
As if his circumstances couldn’t get worse, a chance encounter with a mysterious stranger named Walt results in a frightening trap. After unknowingly making a deal at the crossroads, Hollis finds himself losing control of his body and mind, falling victim to possession. Walt, the ghost making a home inside him, has a deep and violent history rooted in the town Hollis grew up in and he has unfinished business to take care of.
As Walt and Hollis begin working together to put Walt’s spirit to rest, an unspeakable bond forms between them, and the boys begin falling for one another in unexpected ways. But it’s only a matter of time before Hollis’s best friends begin to notice that something about Hollis isn’t quite…right.
With the threat of a long-overdue exorcism looming before them, will Walt and Hollis be able to protect their love and undo the curse that turned their town from a garden of possibility into a place where dreams go to die?
The Corruption of Hollis Brown has already received four starred reviews!
"Ancrum’s tight writing style is perfect for this gritty thriller: simultaneously clipped and lyrical...The novel’s rich tenderness for the town, its residents, and their ghosts makes it a must-read. Queer resilience at its finest." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"A psychologically thrilling and emotionally intimate tribute to bettering one’s own circumstances—and those of one’s community—and the selflessness of love." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Walt and Hollis’s romance is as intense, stark, and heartfelt as the romances in Ancrum’s previous works...their growth as people is both genuine and rewarding to watch." —ALA Booklist (starred review)
"A knack for creating characters who are bigger on the inside is on full display here...as Ancrum’s two-boys-one-body setup rests on a delicate balance of voice that never falters...A profoundly beautiful, strange, and introspective love story, at turns soothing and scalding." —School Library Journal (starred review)
"This is a magnificent piece of speculative fiction that will have readers waiting for more from this author." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
There are few chances for upward mobility in 17-year-old Hollis Brown's hometown; he fears that struggling to make ends meet like everyone else in his small town—run ragged and forced to commute long distances for job opportunities—is the only future he'll ever know. After Hollis is wrongfully accused of inflicting severe, mysterious injuries on a classmate, he strikes a deal with an apparent unhoused teen who offers to help Hollis navigate the situation in exchange for food and shelter. Too late Hollis realizes he's been tricked when he's possessed by Walt, a spirit that takes over his life and body and banishes Hollis to the recesses of Hollis's own mind. What begins as a supernatural horror scenario takes a turn as the duo learn more about each other and Hollis's desire to expel Walt fades away. With the two of them together, perhaps they can create something new, both in their under-standing of personhood and the lives of the people around them. Ancrum (Icarus) employs subtle and lyrical prose via accessible vignettes to craft a psychologically thrilling and emotionally intimate tribute to bettering one's own circumstances—and those of one's community—and the selflessness of love. Characters are intersectionally diverse. Ages 13–up.
