Inspired by a terrifying true story from the author’s hometown, a heart-pounding novel of suspense about a small Minnesota community where nothing is as quiet—or as safe—as it seems.Cassie McDowell’s life in 1980s Minnesota seems perfectly wholesome. She lives on a farm, loves school, and has a crush on the nicest boy in class. Yes, there are her parents’ strange parties and their parade of … their parade of deviant guests, but she’s grown accustomed to them.
All that changes when someone comes hunting in Lilydale.
One by one, local boys go missing. One by one, they return changed—violent, moody, and withdrawn. What happened to them becomes the stuff of shocking rumors. The accusations of who’s responsible grow just as wild, and dangerous town secrets start to surface. Then Cassie’s own sister undergoes the dark change. If she is to survive, Cassie must find her way in an adult world where every sin is justified, and only the truth is unforgivable.
more
A noose of a novel that tightens by inches. The squirming tension comes from every direction — including the ones that are supposed to be safe. I felt complicit as I read, as if at any moment I stopped I would be abandoning Cassie, alone, in the dark, straining to listen and fearing to hear.
I read this strong thriller in a day. It’s a harrowing novel based upon the true story of boys abducted in small-town Minnesota in the 1970s. What raises this book above the average thriller is the balance Lourey sustains between showing the danger outside and inside the home. For me, even more excruciating than wondering about the boys is watching 11-year-old Cassie (the first-person narrator) earnestly and futilely attempting to normalize the wild dysfunction in her family. It’s as if she’s trying to make a small rug cover a large floor. The erratic behavior of her drunken father, and Cassie’s acute sensitivity to all its phases, felt close to the bone. For me, this was rawer and more real than most thrillers, and better written, verging on literary fiction.
5* Disturbing Stars
When I saw the cover of Unspeakable Things, I knew I had to read the story beneath it. It did not disappoint, and I was hooked from the first page until the last page was read.
This was an emotionally dark and disturbing read, based on true events that took place in the author’s hometown in the 1980’s.
As the title suggests unspeakable things are taking place in this small community. Bad things are happening to young boys, they are being molested and returned angry and haunted by what has happened to them. The story is told from 12-year-old Cassie’s point of view and bad things are happening in her dysfunction home too.
This was a very well written story which will have you sitting on the edge of your seat to see what happens next and whom to trust! The ending was somewhat of a surprise as the author wants to leave it up to you to decide how it ends. If you are wanting to know what happens there is a short epilogue on her website which gives closure to the story. The Epilogue can be found here, but only read it when you have completed the book as it has spoilers http://jessicalourey.com/survey-two
When I read that UNSPEAKABLE THINGS by Jess Lourey was inspired by the Jacob Wetterling case, which I’d recently learned about on the In the Dark podcast, I was already hooked. In her Author’s Note, Lourey specifies that while her novel is entirely fictional, she wrote it “to create coherence out of [her] memories of growing up [near the place where Wetterling was abducted] in chronic fear”—and in doing so, she’s achieved something tremendous. UNSPEAKABLE THINGS shivers with dread on every page, even in the lighter, more carefree moments of its twelve-year-old narrator, Cassie, who lives with parents who have wild, strange parties, who rides a school bus with boys who keep getting assaulted, who has a crush on a boy in town who goes missing, who sleeps in her closet every night because of a heart-stopping, breath-catching fear. The central mystery in this book is, of course, who is hurting the boys, and what has happened to the boy who hasn’t been returned—but we are also left to wonder what’s going on in Cassie’s own house, and if any of it is connected to the greater evil occurring in her town. This book reads like an even darker TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, with scenes of childhood comfort and nostalgia undercut by sinister forces that the narrator acutely feels but doesn’t fully understand. I was absolutely gripped by this book; the voice is authentic and exquisite, the setting brought to terrifying life, and the prose both beautiful and brutal in its imagery and emotional clarity. This is a novel that speaks to the experience of feeling haunted as a child—by stories and experiences in your community, by your own personal fears, by the things you don’t have words for—and it is one that will not let you go, from its very first chilling sentence until the sigh of bittersweet relief at its end.
A few things in this book that jumped out to me. A few of the sentences that made a difference.
“Tomorrow was the last day of seventh grade for me. Soon I’d be running through the corn rows with my hands out to catch the pollen, the air exploding with the smell of green juice and earth. Summer meant everything detonating in fruit and flowers.”
“That’s the thing about small-town boys. All they had to do was come up with that one shtick, a crack at just the right time, or a Hail Mary touchdown, or nail the part of Romeo in the class play, and they were set. They never had to try again. Here’s the things about small-town girls: we let them get away with it.”
“And we stood there, in that safe pocket of smiles and laughter, summer dreams and yearbook autographs, and it was the last time we’d all be together again.
Alive, I mean.”
“I’d gone to bed a kid, but I woke up a teenager. An honest -to-god thirteen-year old. I felt different, I was sure of it.”
“In the end, I took the necklace, and if me ending up with that doesn’t tell you that there is a grand plan for this life, then you’re hopeless.”
This is a very dark story. Although it does not come right out and put deep descriptions on the things that happen, you will have no trouble imagining it. This is told from a twelve year old child’s view. A young girl, Cassandra/Cassie, who has her whole life ahead of her but goes through so much. She is quite the smart young lady too. A very kind child who should live a carefree life without a worry in the world. But she is worried. She knows things are not good in the town she lives in. She’s heard all the talk about the missing then returned boys and how they come back different. She lives in a house where things are not so great either. Secrets are all around her and her older sister. Nothing is explicit at all in this story but you’ll know. You’ll feel so bad for the children. The boys, even though some are bad, are heartbreaking in what they must have gone through. The sisters who are afraid of their own dad. A mother who refuses to listen.
This story goes into things that happen in life sometimes. From the peeping Tom to the so called Chester the Molester. To hints of incest. Boys being molested and given back. There are several people who you will suspect are the bad man but will you be able to guess for sure. I had a pretty good idea but didn’t know until the end. Cassie is a strong young girl who just wants the life of a normal child. To live in a world of peace and true love from parents who cherish her and her sister.
While some people may not like this story at all I found it to be interesting. How things came together. How things in this small town ran. How a family can be called a family when in reality it’s not at all. It takes way more than a married couple to be real parents. I didn’t like Cassie’s dad or mother. Her mother seemed very week and scared to speak out for her children even though she was a very educated woman and a high school teacher at that. Her dad had many issues going on. One that he survived Vietnam but in my opinion used that to get his way about almost everything from not being a good dad or husband to now having a job to help support his family. He was really the weak one though I still don’t like the mother either.
The two sisters are close. Very close and love each other very much. But it’s Cassie who is strong and seemingly independent in so many ways. She’s the one who will pull this story together. Solve the mystery around all that is wrong but on the level of a twelve year old. The author did a great job of keeping her a child in her words and actions. I applaud her for that. Great job Jess Lourey. Great job.
The only problem I had with this book, thus the 4 stars, was the ending. I wanted to know what happened. What happened to the dad, the teacher, Cassie and her sister and mother. What happened. Did the mother ever decide to take up for her daughters? Maybe she did. Maybe that is the way it’s suppose to play out. Maybe that is why it ended the way it did. I’d like to think so anyway.
Thank you to #NetGalley, #UnspeakableThings, #JessLourey, #Thomas&Mercer for the eARC of this book. This is my own true review.
I gave it 4 stars and do recommend it. It was a fast read for me and a very interesting one.
Unspeakable Things is an absolutely riveting novel about the poisonous secrets buried deep in towns and families. Jess Lourey has created a story that will chill you to the bone and a main character who will break your heart wide open.
A very different tale of suspense, written by a master storyteller.
I’d had a friend whose opinion I respect tell me I’d enjoy the book and she wasn’t wrong. Part of the enjoyment was also the fact that I listened to it on audiobook (something I’m finding myself doing more and more these days) and the narrator did a great job with it. Clever, with great prose, this book shows that the plot doesn’t have to be super-intricate, it’s all about the characters. Great read.
It leaves the “unspeakable things” to the imagination for the most part. It’s a good, if sad, story.
This book had one of the strongest voices I’ve read in a long time. The mystery itself was secondary because I was more vested in the entirety of Cassie’s tale than what was happening to the boys of the town. When the Rating Page suddenly popped up I was bummed. I wanted more. All in all, a really good read.
I read UNSPEAKABLE THINGS in one compulsive read, carrying the book throughout my house, unwilling–even for a couple of minutes–to stop. This shocking story, told through the eyes of a barely-turned teen, was one of the most suspenseful books I’ve ever read. Nerve wracking, devastating, and far too real.
Unputdownable! I spent overnight to just finished reading this book and going through the emotions of the character. I don’t like the main character at first and didn’t expect much on this book. But then, it turns out to be one of the best book I’ve read this year! Please, do read this guys.
A teachable topic!
Cassie is a 12 year old living with her older sister Sephie and parents. They are not a traditional family and she’s not comfortable with her parents lifestyle. She notices a drastic change in her sister when she comes of age and fears her father. Soon terror fills her small town when young local boys are get abused by a masked man and then one goes missing. The twists keep you guessing each option just as bad as the next. This story was heartbreaking and yet showed how a young spirit can conquer fear and do what is right to bring justice. I had a hard time putting this down.
What a powerful tale of a traumatic summer. Great emotional read.
Lilydale is the polar opposite of the idyllic paradise people usually think of when you mention a small town. In this place, there are secrets—lots of secrets. And they begin with the parents of a middle-school girl named Cassie. Though she and her sister appear to be fine, they know they need to keep silent about the goings-on in their own home, mostly centered around their father. A dark threat hangs over them like a poisonous cloud. And, to survive, they must hold their breath.
I enjoyed this novel, but I warn you, it is disturbing. Based on a real case, the author Jess Lourey has painted a picture of a slow-burning hell where children are at risk, and most of the adults are corrupt in one way or another. If you enjoy stories of mystery, suspense, and dark souls, then Unspeakable Things is for you.
After devouring Unspeakable Things, Jess Lourey has a huge new fan. She combines excellent writing, a superbly creepy cast of characters, and a tightly knit plot that will keep you burning through the pages. Young boys are disappearing in a rural Minnesota town and being molested by a monster. When 12-year-old Cassie’s best friend is taken, she vows to catch the abductor. But when everyone from the chief of police to her own sleazy father become suspects, she realizes she may have put her own life at risk to catch the predator.
Narrated from the point of view of young Cassie, Unspeakable Things is a masterpiece written explicitly for adults. Its carefully crafted prose and tightly twisted plot will keep you awake at night, long after you’ve finished it. “A single human finger poked out of the dirt, the color of ghosts and screams.”
Enjoyed it.
Inspired by a true story, Unspeakable Things is a suspense novel set in 1980’s rural Minnesota. Cassie McDowell’s life seems perfectly wholesome, except for her parents’ strange parties and deviant guests. One by one, local boys go missing. One by one, they return changed. Someone has come hunting and the accusations of who’s responsible grow wild and dangerous as secrets start to surface.
This story is told from Cassie’s point of view. She and her sister know the boys being taken and the feeling of not being safe outside the home. They are not really safe at home either. The author has written a tension-filled thriller. I thought the ending was somewhat abrupt but that’s my only quibble.
Unspeakable Things is a thrilling and suspenseful coming of age novel told by a 7th grade girl, Cassandra. Cassie lives with her older sister and their parents in the small little community of Lilydale, Minnesota. Strange happenings has Cassie in fear, her anxiety high as she tries to make sense of her home life while also secretly investigating the people and events that take place in her surrounding area, including her own Dad.
The subject matter addressed is disturbing and disconcerting, my heart hurt for all the children involved within the pages as well as those affected in real life. The whole town has secrets to hide. From page one there is a sense of foreboding that permeates the entire novel. Lourey blends spine-tingling tension, with eerie dread, and hellish events that nightmares are made of. This book will stick with me for a long time.
It took me back in time as I remembered all the cultural references Lourey threw in to remind readers of the 80’s era. I could visualize everything perfectly.
This would have been a five star book if only there wasn’t so many plot holes and unexplained things left for the reader to wonder about.
Thank you to Thomas and Mercer, Netgalley and Jess Lourey for the advanced readers copy. The opinions in this review are honest and voluntarily left because I wanted to review this novel.