Review: Say Her Name by James Dawson

Do you remember those Point Horror books from when you were at school? James Dawson does, and he has a whole part of his website dedicated to them, so I'm going to steal his format for reviewing his latest fright-fest inspired by the mythology of Bloody Mary.

What's it all about?

A group of seven teenagers are hanging out on a stormy Halloween night, in the grounds of Piper's Hall School for Young Ladies, telling ghost stories. Determined to up the scare stakes, Sadie dares the others to summon the ghost of Bloody Mary by saying her name five times in front of a candlelit mirror at midnight. Three of the gang take up the challenge: Bobbie, the slightly nerdy protagonist; Bobbie's best friend, the gorgeous and wise-cracking New Yorker, Naya; and Caine, a boy from the local comp, who's snuck into the posh boarding school with his friend, Mark. 

It's all a bit of a laugh, until the next day when the gang reunite in town. In the graveyard. In a shady, abandoned bit that no one visits, obviously. Suddenly, Naya starts having a horrendous nosebleed, quickly followed by Bobbie and Caine. The others think this is a carefully orchestrated stunt to freak them all out after last night's shenanigans, but the trio claim otherwise.

Creepy messages?

You bet! After a hair-raising experience in the shower, Bobbie receives a message written on the steamed up bathroom mirror: "FIVE DAYS". Naya receives the same message, written in a scratchy hand, on her planner. Bobbie and Caine also start to have the same hot and heavy, but decidedly creepy dreams - is Mary trying to show them something? 

The Girl

Bobbie (Roberta Rowe) is the daughter of an actress somewhat past her heyday and an anonymous sperm donor, affectionately referred to as Spermy!  Consequently, with her mother's theatre rehearsal and touring commitments, Bobbie has to board at Piper's and often stays on during the holidays. Dawson describes her as "happy to fade into the wallpaper", the opposite of her drama queen mother, but she has a quiet confidence the grows as the story progresses and she has to act with more urgency.

The love interest

Caine. He's the "cuter" of the two bit-of-rough boys from the local high school, mixed-race, and comes with an interesting family history: "It's just families, ain't it? They're all messed up. My mum left my dad for my uncle and then my dad tried to stab 'em both". Caine is originally from Croyden, by the way. Ah, but he's not all that he first appears to be, and beneath the hoodie, he's a sensitive "creative" type. Perfect bit of stuff for a YA novel, and I think Dawson may have based him on a personal crush, as there were a few very appreciative descriptions of his physical appearance!

Dialogue disasters

Well, there weren't any, to be honest. This is one fast-paced, frightner, and the dialogue really helps shape the characters and gets the action going. What I did love about the dialogue were the little references to other media texts - I spotted at least 3 references to Clueless in there! 

That's way harsh, Tai.

Body count
4 definitely, but more implied...

Did the best friend do it?
No, although there were times where I thought she could be involved - there were physical similarities between her and the perp.

Some mild peril?
You will want to remove all mirrors from your house. Also, do not read this book in the bath (lesson learned the hard way). You will read certain bits of this book, and only when you get to the end of them, will you realise that you stopped breathing!

Is it any good?

YES YES YES! Having grown up reading Point Horrors, this is so much better - genuinely chilling, but with a solid teen back story. I'd love to see this made into a movie - it had me desperate to re-watch classics such as Heathers and The Craft! Needless to say, I will be picking up copies of Dawson's other novels, Hollow Pike and Cruel Summer, and cannot wait to see what he'll be doing at YALC. Now, go read this book... Mary would like it if you did!