It’s too late for you. You’re dead. Those words continue to haunt Claire Cain months after she barely survived a brutal beating in Chicago. So when her father is offered a job in another state, Claire is hopeful that getting out will offer her a way to start anew.
But when she arrives in Peculiar, Missouri, Claire feels an overwhelming sense of danger, and her fears are confirmed when she discovers the body of a popular high school student in the icy woods behind the school, surrounded by the town’s feral cats. While everyone is quick to say it was an accident, Claire knows there’s more to it, and vows to learn the truth about what happened.
But the closer she gets to uncovering the mystery, the closer she also gets to realizing a frightening reality about herself and the damage she truly sustained in that Chicago alley….
Holly Schindler’s gripping story is filled with heart-stopping twists and turns that will keep readers guessing until the very last page.
FERAL
Trailer:
FERAL AND THE PSYCHOLOGICAL
THRILLER:
FERAL
falls squarely into the realm of the classic psychological thriller. While the book features mystery, horror, and
paranormal elements, the emphasis is on the “psychological” rather than
thriller / action. The novel features a
Hitchcockian pace and focus on character development (here, we’re exploring the
inner workings of the main character, Claire Cain). Essentially, every aspect of FERAL is used to
explore Claire’s inner workings—that even includes the wintry Ozarks
setting. The water metaphor is employed
frequently in psychological thrillers to represent the subconscious, and here
is incorporated in the form of a brutal ice storm (that represents Claire’s
“frozen” inner state). The attempt to
untangle what is real from what is unreal (another frequently-used aspect of
the psychological thriller) also begins to highlight the extent to which Claire
was hurt in that Chicago alley. Even the
explanation of the odd occurrences in the town of Peculiar offers an
exploration into and portrait of Claire’s psyche. Ultimately, FERAL is a book about recovering
from violence—that’s not just a lengthy or hard process; it’s a terrifying
process, too. The classic psychological
thriller allowed me to explore that frightening process in detail.
What are your top 10
favorite books of all time?
I’m a lifelong reader.
I had to have a new Little Golden Book every time I went to the
supermarket with my mom, back when I was still little enough to fit in the
cart. When I graduated to novels, I was
usually reading them with a flashlight under the covers until all hours. I was literature major in college, too—and
while I dearly love contemporary reads, there’s just something about a
classic. Something sort of…soothing or
delicious about a book written hundreds of years ago. So my all-time favorites run the gamut. These are my favorites from childhood, from
my “classics” shelf, from more recent years:
1.
IN COLD BLOOD by Truman Capote – I discovered
this one in college. One of my profs
asked me to proctor a final exam for him; I brought it on a whim to have
something to do (I was finished with my own tests). I was completely mesmerized by the quiet,
chilling portrait of murder in a small town—so much so, I wished I had another
test or two left to oversee!
2.
FALL INTO DARKNESS by Christopher Pike – I grew
up on contemporary, realistic fiction.
When I found Christopher Pike in junior high, I discovered books that were
more adventure-driven, felt cinematic. I
loved that.
3.
THE PAIN AND THE GREAT ONE – Judy Blume’s
picture book about a couple of siblings.
Her descriptions of the brother and sister could have been me and my
younger brother. It was the first time I
saw myself in a book I was reading—and that was a big part, I think, of hooking
me as a young reader.
4.
JANE EYRE by Charlotte Brontë – I must’ve read
this one three or four different times in college. It just kept getting assigned—in Victorian
Lit, Women’s Lit, etc. I remember one of
my friends asking me why I was taking the time to read it again when I’d read
it for a class the semester before. I had
to admit it was for pure pleasure.
5.
THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by JD Salinger – As
someone who writes in the YA category, I’ve just got to love this one. Its impact on YA lit is still being felt
today.
6.
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee – My
favorite of all the books assigned in high school (isn’t it everyone’s)?
7.
EMILY DICKINSON’S COLLECTED WORKS – I love
Dickinson. And when you read her poems
all together, one after another, they begin to read like a novel in verse.
8.
MYSTIC RIVER by Dennis Lehane – A contemporary
classic. A mystery that reads like a
literary novel.
9.
FIELD OF DREAMS by W. P. Kinsella – Also one of
my all-time favorite movies. Just a
great fantasy story.
10. Laura Ingalls Wilder – I’m a Missouri girl, so I
had to put a classic Missouri writer on the list. I think Wilder’s work tends to trend younger
now—her LITTLE HOUSE books are generally considered children’s literature—and I
read them as a girl, too. So you can also
say Wilder’s one of my favorite MG authors as well.
Author Bio:
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Her
debut MG, THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY, also released in ’14, and became a favorite of teachers and
librarians, who used the book as a read-aloud.
Kirkus Reviews called THE JUNCTION “...a heartwarming
and uplifting story...[that] shines...with vibrant themes of community,
self-empowerment and artistic vision delivered with a satisfying verve.”
FERAL
is Schindler’s third YA and first psychological thriller. Publishers Weekly gave FERAL a starred
review, stating, “Opening with
back-to-back scenes of exquisitely imagined yet very real horror, Schindler’s
third YA novel hearkens to the uncompromising demands of her debut, A BLUE SO
DARK…This time, the focus is on women’s voices and the consequences they suffer
for speaking…This is a story about reclaiming and healing, a process that is
scary, imperfect, and carries no guarantees.”
Schindler
encourages readers to get in touch.
Booksellers, teen librarians, and teachers can also contact her directly
regarding Skype visits. She can be
reached at hollyschindlerbooks (at) gmail (dot) com, and can also be found at
hollyschindler.com, hollyschindler.blogspot.com, @holly_schindler,
Facebook.com/HollySchindlerAuthor, and hollyschindler.tumblr.com.
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