The Girl in the Walls by Meg Eden Kuyatt
Summary: Neurodivergent and sock-collecting Vee is stuck at her uptight and “perfect” Grandma Jojo’s house for the summer, who she has absolutely nothing in common with. To make matters worse, Vee thought her older cousin Cat would make summer fun again–until an incident happens in the middle of the night. And Cat hasn’t been seen since.
Then Vee discovers a ghost living in Jojo’s walls. And this girl… this ghost… has been collecting Jojo’s secrets. At first, Vee finds the ghost to be an escape from her grandmother and her memories of the incident with Cat. But as the girl encourages Vee to get back at Jojo by playing pranks, Vee soon uncovers Jojo’s insecurities. And Vee starts to think twice about taking part in the girl’s schemes, until the girl suddenly becomes dangerous, trapping Vee in the walls and threatening to flood the house and everyone in it. Will Vee let grief and anger take control — or is there a way to use even the broken, confusing pieces of her feelings to save her messy family?
Meg Eden Kuyatt’s verse is easy to read, drawing the reader into Vee’s world with its perpetual forward rhythm, but don’t be fooled into thinking that means this book is simple. There’s nothing simple about this spooky story that centers around a ghost who is so much more than she seems. With potent imagery, the author uncovers the layers of fear, anger, and shame experienced by various members of V’s family, and the tangible harm they do when left to fester. Like the author’s previous verse novel, Good Different, The Girl in the Walls explores an autistic protagonist’s family relationships and the effects of generational trauma. But here she masterfully leverages the tools and techniques of speculative fiction to mine the emotions at the heart of Vee’s family history.
THE GIRL IN THE WALLS is out now.
Stories By Hand with Kathy MacMillan 