Cemetery Club
By: JG Faherty
ISBN: 9781936564231
Expected Publication: March 16, 2012
Available Format: Paperback, Hardback, ebook
My Rating: ★★★★★
Four rebellious (completely normal) teens find themselves bonding over booze and joints in an old cemetery mausoleum in the little town of Rocky Point. They eventually become known as the Cemetery Club. One night, Todd shows up with a box of pilfered snacks and none other than a Quija board game. That fateful night the four mistakenly awake an evil that will haunt them for the rest of their lives. Twenty years later, after they were sure it had been destroyed, the evil has returned and is torturing their town once again. They must quickly learn exactly what it is they awoke in order to stop it, this time for good.
It’s no secret I’m a Faherty fan, and he did not disappoint this time around either. When I was told it was a “zombie” book, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was thinking moaning, emotionless undead rising and multiplying and taking over the town. Well, in a way, that is what happens, but there’s so much more to it than that. Rather than a lot of looting for supplies and blowing out zombie brains, there really is a substantial story underneath it all. And, are these things even zombies at all anyway?
One thing I love about this book is that Faherty gives us little clues, little pieces of the puzzle that slowly and seamlessly come together in the end with a definite impact. We get to know each of the characters, their past, thoughts and feelings; then we get to see them all come back together, rebuild relationships, and bond again over something that is frighteningly all too familiar to each of them.
There’s a perfect amount of creepiness mixed with emotion, even a tiny bit of romance, and yes, some pretty gruesome death scenes. All the different elements fit together perfectly, and the reader remains fully entertained right through the very end. Another favorite horror novel in my growing list…
So what exactly is taking over the town? Is it ghosts, zombies, demons, aliens? You’ll just have to read and find out for yourself!
