I could not take my eyes from the page, curling up my legs and twitching nervously. I will say the last third of the novel really amps up the tension and pace. We see his character develop as he discerns fantasy from reality, and finding strength within to battle his personal and very real physical threats that circle him and newborn brother Theo. The set up and narrative balances on the edge of fantasy and reality is done expertly and had me salivating with joy. This theme is front and centre throughout the entire novel, as well as Steve’s fear: that if he comes completely clean about what is going on in his head, he’ll be committed to a Sanatorium. But in the mind of Steve, we never know what to believe. These are then pitted against Councillors and Psychiatrists, and other adult figures with justifications. But we are treated to almost psychic predictions. It may be Steve’s overactive imagination that brings the dreams, or mental illness manifest in the form of delusion. The whole family are trying to deal with the difficulties the infant faces, as well as their own demons. ‘ The Nest’ deals with our protagonist Steven communicating with other worldly beings (wasps) that give him a status quo on life and the survival of his ill newborn brother. That magical realism seated in some mental illness like anxiety. It reminded me heavily of ‘ Challenger Deep’ by Neal Shusterman. I’m not one to read middle-grade novels, but I’d heard from many sources that ‘ The Nest’ was quite extraordinary. And once it is uttered, can it be taken back? So when a mysterious wasp queen invades his dreams, offering to “fix” the baby, Steve thinks his prayers have been answered.Īll he has to do is say “Yes.” But “yes” is a powerful word. Worries about his sick newborn baby brother who is fighting to survive, worries about his parents who are struggling to cope, even worries about the wasp’s nest looming ominously from the eaves. But for Steve, it’s just another season of worries. Expertly recapturing the books I loved in my youth.įor some kids summer is a sun-soaked season of fun.
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