What a book to start the new year with!
Clown in a Cornfield was nothing like I had expected yet somehow exactly what I expected. Before I go any further I have to give a MAJOR spoiler warning for this review.
The premise behind this book is that a teen and her dad move to a small rural town where the town mascot is a clown named Frendo. This town is "cracked in half" with the adults on one side and teens on the other. Adults represent tradition while teens represent progress.
When I first read the summary for this book I immediately thought of the year 2016. In the US, this was the year of the "killer clowns". Rumor has it that these killer clowns were a social media trend to advertise the release of the remake "IT". 2016 was also a year of one of the most divisive presidential elections of our lifetimes. So it is a natural conclusion that this book was directly inspired by these two events.
I really love the style of the cover because it feels like a throwback to 90's horror classics or maybe even a satire of the genre. In a way my assumptions were all correct. But this book was also so much more!
This book does contain a lot of classic horror tropes, but also subvert some as well. This book reminds me of the movie "Get Out" because the horror doesn't rely on a stranger with a mask or because of a supernatural entity. The horror comes from someone you are supposed to trust.
Recap (MAJOR SPOILERS):
The book starts with a prologue. There are a group of teens hanging out and streaming live on YouTube. Tragedy strikes and one of these teens dies.
The first chapter introduces us to the new girl Quinn. Her dad got a new job as the new doctor for the community. Quinn acts like how you would expect any teen to act if you have a mom that overdoses, and your whole life has been uprooted from the city to the country. She isn't used to the small town way of life, but she quickly learns how "tight knit" the community is. She also discovers that there is a weird between the adults and the teens.
On her first day of school her science teacher has an aggressive outburst to the group of teens introduced to us in the prologue. Quinn begins to realize something is off with the adults in this town.
The story really begins to pick up at the founder's day festival where the teens play a prank that sets the town off. The teens then go to a party at a barn and Frendo the clown enters the picture. Now, there is no easy way to say this, but there is a lot of death in this book. Several teens die. Like, horror movie level death, and it is all at the hands of Frendo. It turns out that Frendo is actually the science teacher! But wait, this is only the halfway mark and there is another clown that kidnaps Quinn's dad! Then there's another one back at the barn that attacked one of the teens!
As it turns out these Frendos are actually the adults that are "fed up" with the teens antics. Quinn and her new friends try to escape and it seems like there is no way out, because remember they are in the middle of a cornfield in the middle of the night! When they finally come to the road they come across the sheriff. It is at this point that I realized that this book
was something special.
The Sheriff is extremely suspicious of this group and decides to put Cole in the back of his cruiser. The point of view shifts to Cole, and we learn at the same time he does that the Sheriff is bloodied and sweaty because he is working with the other Frendos. Cole can see that Quinn is crying and desperately asking for help, but there is no way for him to tell the group what he knows. The others in the group actually carry Quinn off and it is revealed that these teens are part of it too!
The sheriff talks to Cole and he explains that the adults wanted to clean up the town by getting rid of all the "bad" influences. He blames the internet and social media, and he explains that the new generation is just not the same anymore.
The ending was intense, it is revealed that the mastermind behind it all was Cole's DAD! He blames Cole for the death of Victoria. His grief took hold of him and unleashed a monster that is capable of murder. After a series of action shots the terror is over. Cole's dad is presumed dead, but a body is never found. All the Frendos were either killed or they moved far away from the town. Quinn's dad is running for local office, and Quinn is still friends with Cole. Everything seems fine, or as fine as it can be after experiencing intense trauma,
Then its time for the epilogue.
I have a hate/love relationship with this epilogue. Well written? Yes. I'm still mad about it though. I already gave enough spoilers so I'll leave this one alone. I really hope there is a sequel!
Some final thoughts on the novel:
-The sheriff being one of the bad guys feels like a cliché, but it was an excellent decision for this novel. It is no secret that there is huge tension in the US right now surrounding the police. Police are supposed to represent justice and the "good guys", but over the years the police have come to represent the opposite. Since this book has a lot of 2016 inspiration the sheriff being the bad guy isn't a plot twist, but it is more of a reflection of how society view the police.
- This book wasn't scary, but it was very unsettling because you can never tell who to trust. Whether that be your teachers, waitresses, the law, your friends... I feel like this speaks to a very real experience. In real life our enemies aren't wearing a literal mask. They are hiding amongst us in plain sight. It's unsettling to think that you can't trust everyone.
-Overall, I gave this book 4/5 stars. I enjoyed it, it was fast paced, and it reminded me of the Scream movies.
I always forget about the 2016 clown scares. My brain keeps blocking it out for me. (Thanks, brain.) I agree that this book is a good representation of what was going on socially when it was written/published (the clown scare, the protests against police brutality, etc). I also agree about it feeling like Scream.