Deeply emotional and warm coming of age 80s period piece. Bits of Boys’ Life and Hearts in Atlantis (King is namechecked in the acknowledgements).
Hit my feelings the right way. Perfect summer read. ( )

**2.5 Stars**

I think this in theory could be a really great book. I found myself struggling to connect with the main characters and the storyline the plot followed. The conclusion of the story did help me as a reader make more sense of story. That to me was the saving grace of the story. Everything had the starts of something I feel like I would really like, but I feel like I needed a bit more. In the grand scheme of things I didn’t feel connected. ( )

"I was scared- with that crystalline, childish fear of being caught and punished. That fear thrashed behind my rib cage like a bird in cupped hands, perhaps the last truly childlike instance of that emotion I'd ever feel." ( )

audio fiction (5 hrs 40 min) - three misfit kids (two of them quite troubled) and an eccentric uncle (also troubled in his way) have a series of spooky encounters in 1980s Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada (nicknamed "Cataract City" in a previous book by same author). CW/TW: all kinds of trauma and unpleasantness, relayed through scary stories and traumatic incidents.

Fascinating storytelling (reminds me a bit of Chuck Palahniuk, though Davidson's narrator has a different sort of voice), alternating between the present (Jake's current brain surgery patients in Toronto that often develop unexpected characteristics) and the past (ghost hunting days as a 12-y.o. in 1980s Niagara Falls, including a relatively tame Halloween during the "after" SNGC period). A bit darker than I thought it would get (plenty of tragedy and grief) but fairly memorable and very unique. ( )

I originally thought this was a horror book. How wrong I was! A lovely coming-of-age story in the 1980s. It made me nostalgic for my teenage years.