The Creeping

The Creeping, Alexandra Sirowy's debut novel, may seem to be the story you have heard only a thousand times before but its sheer intricacies are deceptive even to the most watchful eyes. It follows the life of seventeen-year-old Stella who has a dark past. Eleven years ago, Stella and her red-haired friend, Jeannie went strawberry picking- only Stella returned, having no recollection of what happened. And ever since, she has been looked upon as either the victim or the devil herself for having survived the unknown.

Stella is now grown up and eager for the carefree summer just days within her reach. But it is not soon before her past returns to haunt her. Stella has recollections of Jeannie nearing the anniversary of her disappearance while the corpse of a young red-haired girl washes up in a cemetery. Such strange coincidences prod Stella to uncover the truth and put the recurring nightmares to sleep. She has with her the support of her best friend since childhood, Zoey- with whom she has a rather controlling friendship- Zoey's brother, Caleb and her estranged friend Sam. Detective Shane, who has been on the case since that fateful afternoon, looks out for Stella and is more of a father than her own who is an extremely work-oriented lawyer. Daniel, Jeannie's older brother who had been sent away, returns with the ambition to help Stella solve the mystery of his beloved sister's death. Stella's cove retreats are replete with random recollections and odd occurrences that make her feel like she is always being watched. In her search she disinters the folklores about what might be lurking in the woods. The deeper she looks, the harder the answers become to get because she soon realises that the disappearance of red-haired girls is the town's history and the cause is something bigger than it seems.

Set in the small town of Savage, Minnesota, it's brooding beaches and wild woods make for the perfect hideout for the monster who has wrecked the saneness of the entire town. Sirowy is able to masterfully take readers to the monster's den with her vivid descriptions that are equally hair-raising as they are intriguing. The town's name, Savage, itself lends to deeper thinking about the secrets that it has harboured since it's inception. Stella says that there are always indications, clues, and it's just a matter of recognising them. This line particularly holds true for the narration itself which is replete with hints. However, even if one does happen to figure out what is really going on, they won't be any less shaken than those who don't have a clue. Such is the pretence of the clues which take us 'closer' to finding the answers.

Stella, our protagonist, may be the weakest link in this story. Her indicisiveness and determination make her a rather flippant character, with a clouded judgement and unnecessary sense of taking life-threatening risks. However, her blooming romance with Sam provides some much needed respite from the chills. And Sam, being the gentleman that he is, has no trouble in becoming a fan favorite. Zoey is the somewhat problematic character who has controlled her friend's life forever in the name of doing what's good for her. Arguably, the most complex characters have to be Daniel and Caleb-the benign brothers- who have a lot more going on than what meets the eye. It is especially trying to judge Daniel's true character--even after the mystery is solved.

Sirowy has stressed the genres of thriller, horror and mystery throughout the book but the most obvious indication has to be the name of the book itself. The mystery of it's name is not solved until the latter part of the book which only adds to the luring nature of the novel. The sheer delight in reading it is the fact that it defies all expectations. The simple culmination is astounding but the book is anything but predictable. It makes for a good one time read- one time only because the shocking nature of the revelation at the end stays with readers much after they have finished reading the book and flashes now and then much like Stella's suppressed memories. It makes us question how one could be so naive and gullible and believe in the supernatural rather than in what is right in front of them. This thought leads readers to conclude that the truth is sometimes so unbearable that one would rather believe in monsters.

The Creeping, as Sirowy's debut has definitely set her up to be one of the best upcoming writers of this genre with readers being faced with contrary pulls of the fear of the unknown and the resolve to solve the mystery. It's now up to you to find out if Stella will learn the hard way that if you hunt for monsters, you will find them.