Wild Spaces

DEBUT Coney makes their debut with this coming-of-age eldritch horror story. A boy lives happily on the South Carolina coast with his parents and loyal, fiercely protective dog Teach—until his grandfather, whom he’s never met before, arrives one day and invites himself to stay. Teach makes his dislike of the grandfather clear from the beginning, and the sense of dread slowly increases. Tension also grows between the adults, and the boy tries to puzzle out what has happened to his family and why no one will answer his questions. Once cohesive, their family is now being driven apart, and the boy is also changing in confusing and horrifying ways as he grows. Ultimately, the boy will come face-to-face with the horror of his family’s secrets and realize his own inheritance. The novel’s often beautiful and searing descriptions capture the boy’s experiences, even as his world is upended. This is a quick read, but the ending will linger.