Adult Goosebumps

Red Rain by R.L. Stine

Lea was in Cape Le Chat Noir when Hurricane Ernesto swept through the island killing many of the islanders and destroying the landscape. Daniel and Samuel’s parents died during the storm and their home washed away. Lea, who feels an unnatural pull to the boys, adopts the twins and brings them home with her to Sag Harbor. Her husband, Mark, is a child psychologist and author, who doesn't agree with the two new additions to the family and only agrees to their presence to help his wife get over the tragedy she suffered. Elena and Ira, Mark and Lea’s son and daughter, are ambivalent to the presence of two new brothers. But the atmosphere in the home begins to change. The twins have their own plans for Sag Harbor and they see their “new pa” as a threat, a threat that needs to be eliminated.

                Let’s face it, kids are creepy. When you take two abandoned 12 year old, blonde hair, blue eyed boys, who look like innocent dolls and turn them into the antagonists of your story then you have created a creepy novel. There are a few facts about the island that are introduced in the very beginning of the novel that set the tone. Well, for starters, there was a hurricane that happened in 1935 that also devastated the islands and included a considerable body count. Also there is a ritual done on the island known as Revenir where priests raise the dead. So, two kids without identification of any kind, with no parents or family on the island are taken to a new place to be with a new family. This spells trouble! Little odd things start to happen. The twins aren't fitting in at school or with their other siblings. Mark doesn't trust them and finds their easy confidence unnerving. Mark and Lea are at odds because she fills like the twins are meant to be in Sag Harbor with her as part of their family. It’s all a setup. You feel the pot boiling and you, as the reader, are just waiting for the top to blow off.

                R.L. Stine did not disappoint with this his second adult horror novel. He opens the book with death and despair and keeps the book very raw throughout. My jaw dropped more than once with some of the revelations throughout the book. I found it extremely enjoyable and horror at its finest. I know a lot of people didn’t enjoy this book. It felt like what it is, Goosebumps grown up! It’s not a book that is meant to intellectually stimulate at all, it is pure unadulterated fear put into words.  There were a few points that were predictable but with this book it was easy roll with the punches and enjoy the story as it unfolded. If you are in the mood for a page turner, and you like a good fright (or you were a fan of Goosebumps) then I would definitely suggest this book.