The Corruption of Hollis Brown

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. Agent: Eric Smith, P.S. Literary. (Apr.)