Tighter by Adele Griffin

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (May 10, 2011)
Author's Website: http://adelegriffin.com/
Buy the book:  Amazon

When 17-year-old Jamie arrives on the idyllic New England island of Little Bly to work as a summer au pair, she is stunned to learn of the horror that precedes her. Seeking the truth surrounding a young couple's tragic deaths, Jamie discovers that she herself looks shockingly like the dead girl—and that she has a disturbing ability to sense the two ghosts. Why is Jamie's connection to the couple so intense? What really happened last summer at Little Bly? As the secrets of the house wrap tighter and tighter around her, Jamie must navigate the increasingly blurred divide between the worlds of the living and the dead.

Brilliantly plotted, with startling twists, here is a thrilling page-turner from the award-winning Adele Griffin.

Tighter was a really interesting read for me.  Adele says that it is a loose re-telling of The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, but I have never read that story, and didn't actually learn this until after I read Tighter, so my review is based on going in blind.  I do really like the title of this book, now, after learning what it is based off of.  I think the title "Tighter" is a really cool play on "The Turn of the Screw."

This was a really fascinating book.  It was strange to read a story where I wasn't really sure if I liked the main character or not, and not only that, but I wasn't sure if she was a "reliable" narrator, if that makes sense.  When the girl telling you about ghosts can't make it through the day without popping stolen prescription pain pills, you're not really sure how much to believe.  But even though Jamie made some really bad choices, and I would be HORRIFIED if she was my child's au pair, I have to say I did end up liking her, and rooting for her.

This was kind of a psychological thriller.  You are constantly trying to figure out just what is going on, and who to believe, and what happened to the previous au pair and her boyfriend.  I just found it all so twisted!  When I came to the last pages of the book, I was just speechless!

I don't want to say too much, because I don't want to give anything away.  But I'll just say, I really enjoyed this book.  I love a book that will make you think, and make you second-guess everything you think you know, then find out you still aren't right.  This is a super-fast read, so if you're looking for a quick, thrilling, suspenseful, surprising, mysterious and very twisted story, you should definitely give this one a try!

• Sexual Content:  Mild
• Profanity:  Mild/Moderate
• Violence:  Mild
• Other Notables:  Daily use of stolen prescription pills.  Other possible spoilers.

For more details, check out Tighter on Parental Book Reviews.