Be Not Afraid

Galante (The Sweetness of Salt) crafts a chilling atmosphere in this slowly simmering horror story. Seventeen-year-old Marin developed a peculiar condition after her mother’s suicide: the ability to see the physical manifestations of people’s pain in the form of colorful orbs. Overwhelmed by the “pain shapes” constantly in her line of vision, Marin wears dark sunglasses to her Catholic high school. She stays under the radar until one day when another student, Cassie, erupts into an enraged, seizurelike fit during Mass and directs her aggression squarely at Marin. As it becomes plain that Cassie’s affliction isn’t epilepsy but something more sinister, Cassie’s brother, Dominic, senses that Marin is somehow involved. Marin’s narrative is calculated in its revealing of information, and readers may begin to doubt her reliability. Like many works of horror, Galante’s story is at its best when at play in the shadows; the conclusion may strike some horror fans as a bit conventional. Yet the author thoughtfully addresses questions of good, evil, spirituality, and suffering, while the story’s paranormal elements offer moments of legitimate terror. Ages 12–up. (Apr.)