The Corruption of Hollis Brown--longlisted for a 2025 National Book Award--by K. Ancrum (The Weight of the Stars) is a singularly intimate supernatural YA romance that follows a self-destructive boy who shares a body and forges an exhilarating connection with the ghost possessing him.
Seventeen-year-old Hollis Brown is an impulsive "asshole." Thus, he gives little thought to bargaining with a mysterious teenager living in the woods: Walt will help Hollis improve himself, Hollis will give Walt food and shelter. Walt, however, is a ghost, and possesses Hollis.
In short, vignette-like chapters, two broken boys find pieces in one another to allow themselves to become whole. Ancrum redefines possession and brilliantly tackles self-loathing, depicting two young men openly expressing emotions and tending to one another's needs. A heady passion between Hollis and Walt ignites through tender moments of vulnerability, devilishly bold flirting, and incomparable intimacy. There are agonizing twists and exceptionally well-developed side characters, making this a transcendental read. --Samantha Zaboski, freelance editor and reviewer