Del-Del

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

This novel's unusual title befits its mad foray into the occult, science fiction and severe psychosis. Beth, 18, looks back on the events of the past four years, beginning with the anniversary of her sister's death from leukemia. Sam, a stoic seven-year-old genius, suddenly changes from a docile brother to an uncontrollable child he calls Del-Del (from the constellation Delphinus). Convinced that the boy is possessed by the devil, his distraught family consults an exorcist, whose work temporarily mitigates the ravings. But it is Beth who ultimately risks her life to uncover the psychological foundation of Del-Del's genesis. Kelleher ( Brother Night ) plots an unusual course for a sibling death theme, with confusing results. Beth's deft narration admits to the red herrings that confound the family (and pad the story): the theory, for example, that Del-Del is inhabiting Sam's body while on earth. The dialogue, dotted with expletives, slows the proceedings when Sam speaks in backwardly spelled English, and Grandma's heavy Polish dialect grows tedious. A pat resolution may annoy readers who have the persistence to reach the novel's end. Ages 12-up. (June)

School Library Journal

Gr 7-10-- From Australia comes this tense, involving story of child-prodigy Sam's retreat into another personality one year after the death of his beloved oldest sister. The family was going to the cemetery, 14-year-old Beth tells readers, when Sam suddenly refuses to go and retreats into his bedroom cupboard where he becomes Del-Del. Day by day, there's less of Sam and more of the cold, calculating Del-Del, whose frightening influence nearly destroys a family already damaged by their inability to cope with grief. As Beth's father and mother fight with each other and alternately plead with and badger Sam/Del-Del, Beth fears that they will lose him entirely. From nailing up the cupboard to having an exorcist in and taking him away from the house, the family tries to drive out what seems to be an alien presence, and at one point seems to have succeeded. Then, afraid to tell her pressured family the truth, Beth kidnaps her brother, driving with him to a rain-drenched cliff where she is nearly killed and only Sam (not Del-Del) can save her. It's a riveting ending. Although some scenes are overlong, the tension holds throughout, with sharp-edged dialogue, well-delineated characters, and strong family dynamics. A psychological thriller that's guaranteed to hold readers' attention. --Sara Miller, Nassau Library System, NY