The Girl in the Corn

Offutt (So You Had to Build a Time Machine) pushes the boundaries of plausibility with this unholy mash-up of creepy, high-body-count paranormal thrills and the trope in which a special kid is chosen to save a magical land, but somehow sticks the landing. A fairy leads young Thomas Cavanaugh into his family’s cornfield for a near-fatal encounter with Dauðr, a dark force that has already sucked the life out of the Norse-flavored fae world and now has its eye on Earth. The resulting nightmares land Thomas in a psychiatric program where he meets Bobby, who beat a boy to death for coming on to him, and Jillian, who killed her rapist stepfather. Years later, Thomas reencounters both Jillian and a still-disturbing adult Bobby—and, from Bobby’s perspective, the reader sees how Dauðr drives him to increasingly unhinged behavior. Meanwhile, Thomas and Jillian’s relationship turns to romance, but her agenda becomes increasingly uncomfortable and cryptic. The parameters of the final battle will be unsatisfying for readers who hoped to see Thomas emerge as a hero and those drawn to the supernatural horror of the premise may find the evil forces somewhat caricatured. Still, Offut generally makes the disparate elements work in a way that will appeal to non-purists. Readers will find themselves well sated before the end. (Jan.)