Tracy Sierra (Nightwatching) conjures a terrifying narrative with Warning Signs, in which a 12-year-old boy grapples with hazards on several levels. This novel of horror and abuse is both enthralling and thought-provoking, liable to keep the reader up all night for a single-sitting read or to inspire nightmares--all worthwhile for the masterful handling of serious topics.
Chapter one introduces Zach, aged 11, his younger sister, Bonnie, and their mother, Grace, as they ski uphill into the mountains. Grace, an expert outdoorswoman, educates her young children in assessing avalanche risks, in survival, and how to manage fear. Chapter two jumps forward a year. Zach heads into the same mountains with his father, Bram. Where Grace was kind and patient, Bram is visibly short-tempered and exasperated. They are to meet a group of men and boys at a backcountry ski hut for a fathers-and-sons ski trip, organized by Bram to secure investments from the wealthier men he envies and courts.
Warning Signs ratchets up the tension until it seems it can carry no more--and then ramps it up again. Zach is aware of at least three distinct threats: the perils of the natural world, including a very real risk of avalanche; his father's irascible self-interest and capacity for cruelty; and a mysterious creature stalking the dark and treacherously cold high-altitude woods. With its triple-punch of terrors, Sierra's sophomore novel is truly and profoundly frightening. Beyond the fine art of the horror or thriller novel, Warning Signs also considers domestic abuse and control, class and ambition, and how we try to care for those we love. Discomfiting, chilling, and unforgettable. --Julia Kastner, blogger at pagesofjulia