The Door to January

by Gillian French

Overview

2017 Bram Stoker Awards Final Ballot Nominee for Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel

Ever since sixteen-year-old Natalie Payson moved away from her hometown of Bernier, Maine, she's had nightmares. And not just the usual ones. These are inside her, pulling her, calling her back, drawing her to a door, a house, a place, a time. Full of fear, full of danger. So this summer, Natalie's going back to Bernier to face up to a few things: the reason she left town in the first place; the boy she's trying hard not to trust; and the door in her dreams. But once she goes through the door, into a murky past, she's entangled in someone else's world. And only Natalie can help right the wrongs of both the past and the present. Breakthrough author Gillian French skillfully weaves together themes of small town bullies, unsolved murders, time travel, and the force of the spirit in this gripping paranormal thriller.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781944762100
Publisher:	Islandport Press
Publication date:	09/05/2017
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Growing up in rural Maine led Gillian French to believe that the mystery of the past is all around. She uses her surroundings as a setting for her dark stories that often have a creepy twist. While she's never seen a ghost, she's pretty sure she's heard ghostly footsteps in the night. French's short fiction has appeared in various publications and anthologies. The Door to January is her second YA novel; her first, Grit, was released by HarperTeen in May 2017. French holds a B.A. in English from the University of Maine and is perpetually at work on her next novel.

Editorial Reviews

Ever since a tragedy caused her family to move away from home, Natalie has had intense recurring nightmares in which she is drawn toward a door in an old house back in her hometown. Now sixteen, Natalie is determined to resolve the nightmares and put to rest the events she and her cousin Teddy endured two years ago. The cousins set out to solve her nightmare mystery, visiting an abandoned house on a hill (from her nightmares) back in their hometown of Bernier. The two set up a recorder, and after the first electronic voice phenomena (EVP) recordings, Natalie becomes increasingly convinced her nightmares are calling her to solve a crime. With each visit to the house, Natalie is pulled back in time to 1948 where she witnesses several tragedies unfold in the house through the course of that long-ago year. Teddy and Natalie's reappearance in town reignites animosities, and two mysteries—one in the present, one in the past—come together as Natalie and Teddy challenge bullying, abuse, and murder. Rich characters, paranormal activity, small-town high school bullies, and a hint of romance for Natalie balance out challenging time sequencing and occasionally ambiguous relationships in this fast-paced cliffhanger. Readers looking for a frisson of fear and/or seeking a sense of justice will find this compelling suspense story worth the effort.
—Kim Carter.

The Door to January focuses on Natalie Payson and her cousin Teddy. Natalie, who moved away from her hometown because of intense bullying in middle school, has come back to town with Teddy for a short visit. She must face the reason she left and not get caught by the ghosts of her past. The characters' interactions are realistic and the dialogue is short and snappy, moving the story along quickly. Readers who enjoy stories with a mixture of humor and suspense will definitely enjoy this book. 4Q, 4P.
—Anisa Amrani, Teen Reviewer.

VOYA Reviews 2017 October

Keen plotting, evocative writing, and dynamic characterization make French a writer to watch.

Booklist

"...the slow unraveling of the house's history, the increasing tension around Natalie's flashbacks to a distant crime, and the creepy but pitiable spirits that haunt her all come together to make a spine-tingling tale."

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"This is definitely a book I'll be recommending to friends and basically all of the young adults I come across."

The Geeky Yogi

"This novel was ever-changing; every time I thought I had it pinned down it grew and matured and turned in a direction I wasn't quite expecting."

The Suspense is Thrilling Me

Keen plotting, evocative writing, and dynamic characterization make French a writer to watch.

Booklist

09/01/2017
Gr 9 Up—Natalie has returned to her hometown in Maine to help her aunt in the local café. She also has other motives for coming back—to explore the mystery behind a series of nightmares she has had since leaving because of a tragic incident. With the help of her cousin Todd, Natalie sets out to the eerie house that stands at 25 Morning Glory Lane; the one in her nightmares. What they discover through their daily trips to the house is shocking and Natalie is sucked into the past, bearing witness to another tragedy. French has crafted a story that will grab readers' attention from the beginning. Teens will be continually drawn into the intrigue through chapters that present alternating time lines. Readers will feel connected to Natalie and her plight of past, present, and future, and though there are supernatural elements to the story, the emotions and feelings are all too real. VERDICT A provocative mystery that would be a strong purchase for libraries' supernatural/mystery collections.—Caitlin Wilson, Meadowdale Library, North Chesterfield, VA

School Library Journal

2017-07-02
Natalie has returned to her small, mostly white Maine town for the summer, primarily to figure out why she's having vivid nightmares about a derelict house.While there she's less interested in making peace with the three bullies who assaulted her and her brainy cousin, Teddy, with a gun a couple of years previously—an event that ended with the shooting death of a fourth miscreant, Peter. In her dreams, the house is icy cold. During visits to the house with ever intrepid Teddy, she's transported back in time to 1948, when an evil resident of the house is just beginning a career as a serial murderer. As disquieting as those surreal experiences are—since she can only observe and not intervene to save the three victims—the present is also disturbing. She repeatedly encounters her former attackers: Lowell, who seems reformed and is becoming increasingly attractive to Natalie, and the intimidating pair of scarily out-of-control Jason and unstable Grace, who is devoted to, or perhaps controlled by, him. French neatly manages the complications of three intertwined storylines: Natalie's emerging peril in the present, the terrifyingly depicted past inhabited by the three well-realized victims, and the third thread of what actually happened on the day Peter died. Chilling and suspenseful, this paranormal thriller with a touch of romance will keep readers on the edges of their seats. (Paranormal thriller. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews