The Hollow, by Jessica Verday
Young Adult, 2009
When Abbey's best friend Kristen is drowned, she feels incredibly alone as she mourns her and goes through the motions of recovering from grief. Rumors abound about Kristen's death, and when she finds a diary that reveals more she feels compelled to find out what really happened. A secretive young man, Caspian, shows up and starts to fill the void created by Kristen - but he has secrets of his own that test what Kristen knows about herself, her town of Sleepy Hollow, and even her sanity.
I was completely intrigued to read this book when I saw it offered mystery, danger, and a little romance. However, I soon found The Hollow didn't quite live up to expectations. There were twice as many words as were needed to tell the story - I wanted to take a pen and start crossing them out. The mystery is cut short in the middle and not only do you never find out what happened; Abbey doesn't either. There were a couple of inconsistences, and although I read them a couple times to try and make it fit, I just couldn't (for those of you that've read it, going to the old couple's house to deliver the Christmas gifts, and Caspian's streak being in the newspaper picture). I did enjoy Abbey's personality - despite her faults, she was helpful, kind, and truly tried hard to be a good kid. It was an interesting plot idea, although the ending drove me absolutely nuts. Graded a C.
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