Review: Summer's End

Luke C Jackson is the author of the teenage mystery novel the Unclaimed and the co-writer of the low budget horror feature When Evil Reigns. Summer’s End is his second release under John Wiley and Sons young adult fiction line. His third novel Sleeper is scheduled for release in June.

Adolescent fiction is a tough market to crack. With a plethora of media on offer including video games, movies and the internet – literature is often overlooked for faster, newer mediums. Unlike adults, teenagers don’t have as much patience with a story and are far more direct in their appraisal. If they do decide to read, the book had better hook them fast, be genuine in its representation of teenage life and keep them engrossed until the end. It’s a tough ask, but one that Melbourne author and high school English teacher Luke C Jackson has managed to pull off.

Luke C Jackson’s second foray into the market is a dark, fast-paced, brooding mystery novel with undertones of the occult and mysticism.

The story follows Kristy Stevenson, a 15-year-old student that returns to Owens Academy after a year in hospital to discover a dark shadow has been cast over the students and teachers at her school. People are acting differently and a string of disappearances has her convinced dark forces are at work. With the help of the school newspaper team Kristy sets out to uncover the secret, only to discover that the answers are more sinister than she could have ever imagined.

Summer’s End encapsulates this mystery by creating a sense of dread in the opening pages that hooks the reader and doesn’t let up until the final shock ending. With fast, sparse prose Jackson propels the story forward with lightning efficiently while also creating strong three-dimensional characters that engage and connect with the reader.

Kristy is a strong-willed independent young woman with a haunted past. To succeed she must not only deal with external forces but also inner demons such as loneliness and the urge to fit in. It’s these issues that connect with the reader and bring a sense of reality to the supernatural themes.

Despite being marketed as a mystery, Jackson’s love of horror shines through. Scenes involving giant black dogs and rotting corpses are tense and genuinely creepy, even if at times the horror feels a tad restrained to fit the target market. You get the feeling that Jackson really enjoyed writing these scenes and would have loved to push the envelope further. However, I think these restrictions have helped him to create a darker tone, having to rely on mood to frighten his readers rather than graphic violence or gore.

Given the book’s tone it is therefore interesting to see the choice of a female protagonist. While themes of friendship and first love are dominant in the story – themes often associated with a female market – the lingering sense of horror and dark mystery is more at home with a male audience. Traditionally adolescent male readers like to follow a strong male lead and are less willing to go along with a female character. That said, I believe Jackson has created a chilling mystery with a strong enough story to transcend gender boundaries, but it will be interesting to see if male readers in the target market are willing to go along with a female lead.

Summer's End is an exciting blend of mystery, suspense and gothic horror that offers an engaging read for adults as well as teenagers. The challenge is to see if the target market agrees.

Summer's End is available at educational bookstores around Australia or can be ordered through bookstores such as Borders and Readings. It can also be purchased direct from the publisher's website.