THE MIDNIGHT CLUB by Christopher Pike

 

They were victims of life, but they vanquished death. A gripping YA horror story, coming to Netflix soon.

In a hospice for teens with terminal illnesses, five friends form the Midnight Club. They meet every night to share spine-chilling stories. Some are invented, some true. The strangest are a mixture of the two.

The club members make a pact - whichever of them dies first will try to contact the others from beyond the grave. The most incredible of their stories is about to begin . . .

When I heard Mike Flanagan was developing a series for Netflix based on a Pike book, I was instantly interested. So, I want to thank Hachette Australia for sending me a copy of this very cool re-release.

In Rotterham Hospice for teenagers, five kids suffering from terminal illnesses meet at midnight to tell each other stories...

Wow. I wasn't sure what to expect from this, but I definitely did not expect the deep levels of sadness, despair, and creativity that filled every page.

I honestly thought this was going to be some sort of creepy ghost story, but it was nothing like that! This is actually a dark tale about the very real horror of sick kids dealing with daily pain, and the reality of death creeping closer every day.

To pass the time, this particular group tell each other made-up tales every night. Once again, the stories they tell are totally unexpected because I thought they would be campfire legends or urban myths, but aren't. Spence tells violent stories featuring disgruntled people who are angry with society. Anya always sneaks in the devil. Kevin's is a highly emotional creation told in installments. Ilonka shares entertaining past lives. And Sandra doesn't bother to come up with anything, just enjoys listening in.

I actually got pretty attached to these kids and following their daily, very dramatic experiences broke my heart. Their interactions, conversations, and strong friendship bonds sometimes made me temporarily forget the severity of their conditions, but it was always in the back of my mind. And when time starts to run out for them, everything becomes hauntingly sad. 😥

The Midnight Club turned out to be very different to what I was expecting, which is actually a great thing. Spending time with these teenagers was like being lost in a melancholy, feverish dream where real life is so gloomy that the idea of telling fiction made the truth bearable. It's also a very interesting exploration of pain, loneliness, death, and the possibility of reincarnation.

I have to admit that the blurb for this book doesn't describe the plot well, but it's still a great read. I really enjoyed this!

The Midnight Club, July 2022, ISBN 9781444966299, Hodder Children's Books