In fourteen years of existence, Finnigan has never left Hillcrest Manor. Not a toe on the lawn, not a lock of hair in the wind, nothing. The teenager lives recluse in this immense house located in the middle of the forest with his parents and his brother, Christopher, thirteen months older than him. The atmosphere there is terrible. Authoritarian, violent parents, absolute heaviness, a supreme taboo. The family took refuge there during the “events”which occurred fourteen years earlier: in the middle of a world war, dozens of chemical bombs exploded, transforming humans into dangerous beasts, thirsty for blood and fresh flesh, who come out at nightfall. To protect their family, the Hillcrests chose to barricade themselves. But out of the question to talk about it. THE “events”, the life before, the nocturnal risks: if Finnigan mentions them, he knows he will be in for a big correction.
In the dark confines of the mansion, the young boy lives in terror. The terror of the immense frescoes depicting cruel and bloody battles, painted on the walls, in the living room and in his bedroom. The terror of this intransigent mother who acts as tutor and begins each work session with a methodical review of her children's latest dreams. The terror of this irascible father with his quick hand. A simple trip to the basement to get vegetables is like the most daunting of challenges. This long staircase plunged into darkness, the icy air rushing into the room, are conducive to the worst fantasies. A rat passing by, and we come close to cardiac arrest.
Previous Wednesday youth pages
-Once, only once, Finnigan dared to defy a ban, by grabbing a candle and matches to be able to leaf through one of his rare picture books. His father's belt made him stop wanting to start again. The teenager therefore remains alone with his fears, his questions, his brother feeling nothing but contempt towards him. Until this day when Christopher dares to express doubts: what if their parents hid the truth from them? What if there was another place preserved from events?
Le Secret Hillcrest grabs you and never lets you go. Quebec author Sandra Dussault skillfully handles the art of suspense, keeping her reader in suspense from start to finish, without cliffhangers excessive or long. We let ourselves be carried away by this atmosphere which scares Finnigan so much, we are surprised by the multiple twists and turns. The object itself contributes to the mood, with most of the pages of the book being black. And throughout the reading, a question persists: why are Hillcrest parents so terrible?
Sandra Dussault, the Bureau of Strange Stories: The Hillcrest Secret. Illustrations by Martin Côté, Flammarion jeunesse, 160 pp., €12.90. From 9 years old.
Related News :