Draw the Dark

Publishers Weekly

Seventeen-year-old Christian is a loner at school--which is what tends to happen when you live in a small town with a hidden history, your parents have disappeared, you hear voices in your head from "the sideways place," and you can draw people to death. Sometimes Christian's drawings are taken over by the thoughts of those around him, and when he draws their deepest fears, they die. But now something new is happening: Christian is falling into the life of an eight-year-old boy who lived during the 1940s when Winter, Wis., was home to German WWII prisoners who performed labor in town. The boy witnessed an atrocious crime, and Christian gets caught up in the mystery he uncovers. Though the story is at times hard to follow, as Christian moves in and out of his life and tries to understand his connection to the mysterious "sideways place" that plays a pivotal role in the story's climax, Bick builds the gripping supernatural/historical mystery to a satisfying conclusion that demonstrates the evils of the present can be just as terrifying as those of the past. Ages 12–18. (Oct.)

VOYA - Robbie L. Flowers

It is one thing to have your own bad memories—it is another to have the collective bad memories of a town filed away in your head. Christian knows this torment intimately, as he has taken to drawing the dark images that lace his mind. With both of his parents missing in action, he finds himself drawing inexplicable images and, worse yet, embattled in wars that he cannot recall creating. This loner discovers his sleepy town's nasty little secret of what really happened when the Nazis arrived. He also becomes a bit of an unsuspecting medium for connecting the town's past and present. This offering is chock-full of action and vivid characterization. The plot is unique and highlights a time that is often overlooked in American history—it will keep readers engaged and wondering how it will all end. The author paints vivid depictions of Christian's mind, and the reader will be right there with him along for the ride. The ending will leave the reader holding on for dear life. The author has a few loose ends, but something this enthralling should never be expected to end neatly or conform to traditional literary notions. This title is a must for any school or public library—it is not to be missed. Reviewer: Robbie L. Flowers

Children's Literature - Julia Beiker

In this young adult psychological thriller, our young lead character, Christian, changes the typical definition of hero when he plays the role of both antagonist and protagonist not unlike Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jekyll. This story takes the reader through many emotional roller coasters and twists and turns that keep them guessing what will happen next. The setting is a normal small town in middle-of-nowhere America that holds an almost century-old secret that slowly starts to surface as Christian grows from a young lad to his seventeenth year on Earth. As an already hormonal and confused teenager, Christian finds himself engulfed in death including the previous suicide of one of his elementary teachers and the sudden death of his aunt which are both linked to him through his incredible ability to draw death. Nothing makes sense until Christian meets an older man in a retirement home, and now the facts start to add up. Bick creates an original story that sheds light on the way that Jews, Italians, Japanese and German immigrants were treated in the United States during World War II. I had a hard time picturing him as a seventeen-year-old; his thoughts, reactions and his emotional immaturity pegged him as much younger. It also seemed that his relationship with Sarah was contrived to move the plot along. The story line does pull the reader right up to the breathtaking ending. Due to violence and adult content, I would recommend this book to mature young adults. Reviewer: Julia Beiker

Kirkus Reviews

Drawing has had unusual repercussions in 17-year-old Christian Cage's life: His mother has vanished to a sideways place he drew, his aunt drowned in a sinking car exactly as he sketched it out and he defaced a barn of the wealthiest man in Winter, Wisc., in his sleep. While he is doing restitution work for the barn incident, Christian has visions of a terrible 1945 murder involving a Jewish union organizer and a German factory owner who imported prisoners of war. Bick's tight plotting drives the action forward, and dream drawing sequences provide tantalizing clues. Characterization is thin, however; the historical characters are more realized than the contemporary ones, and Christian's attempts to deal with his guilt appear genuine but lack emotional impact. Resolving a twisted mystery with a surprising solution, the tense narrative unfortunately loses cohesion in tying up a few minor plot points. These small flaws notwithstanding, this otherwise excellent mystery might bring new life to a neglected genre. (Mystery. YA)