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Delphi has spent years working at a vast and iconic theme park in California after fleeing a trauma in her rural hometown. But following the disturbing death of a beloved Hollywood starlet on the park grounds, Delphi is tasked with shuttering it for good.
Meanwhile, two siblings with ties to the park exchange letters, trying to understand why people who work there have been disappearing. Before long, they learn that there's a reason no one is meant to see behind its carefully guarded curtain...
What happens when the park empties out? And what happens when Delphi, who seems remarkably at one with it, is finally forced to leave?
Simultaneously "a smart and surprising escape room of a novel" (Matt Bell, author of Appleseed) about the uncanny valley, death cults, optical illusions, and the enduring power of fantasy, Reiche's debut is a mind-bending teacup ride through an eerily familiar landscape, where the key to it all is what happens at the end of every day.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
July 4, 2023 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781797159553
- File size: 279381 KB
- Duration: 09:42:02
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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April 24, 2023
Reiche’s slippery debut adds to the niche but growing genre of horror novels set in theme parks. Delphi Baxter has worked in a vast and immensely popular Disney Land–style amusement park for years as both a handler of guests and maintenance worker, alongside her long-term boyfriend, Brendan, who plays one of the park’s princes. The park is the first place Delphi’s felt at home after a childhood trauma. Then comes the death of a celebrity on its grounds and a failed attempt to replace the clumsy automaton attractions with more advanced robotics. News quickly arrives that the park is shuttering, and Delphi’s life begins to break down. She stays committed to her job while she still has it, but as the park’s shutdown begins, Brendan acts strangely, odd people roam the grounds, and it becomes increasingly apparent that either something is wrong with the park or Delphi is losing her mind—or both. Reiche uses both unreliable narrators and the occasional epistolary chapter to create an ethereal, hard-to-pin-down world. This style may go a little too far sometimes, but succeeds in creating a dreamlike, unsettling narrative that frequently slides into the uncanny valley. Readers are in for an eerie, psychological roller-coaster ride. Agent: Liz Parker, Verve Talent & Literary. -
June 10, 2024
Delphi has worked her way up through the ranks of the Park, an otherwise unnamed California amusement park with an uncanny ability to transcend reality and transport guests into a fantasy world. Though no one seems to know how the park came to be, it has always held Delphi's fascination, allowing her to escape her childhood trauma. Following a string of alarming occurrences centered around new, state-of-the-art animatronics, the park is shuttering its doors, and Delphi is tasked with assisting in the closure. She soon realizes, however, that something sinister--maybe even the park itself--is fighting against that fate. In this chilling debut, Reiche presents a sophisticated, suspenseful horror. The fast pace and intricate plot are compelling and creepy. Narrator Eunice Wong performs both Delphi's first-person narrative and a series of epistolary interludes. Her sedate, almost detached delivery perfectly contrasts with the disturbing story, enhancing the unease and apprehension that runs throughout. VERDICT This audio will appeal to listeners seeking atmospheric, unsettling horror that blends otherworldly chills with childhood nostalgia. Recommended for fans of Megan Collins, Kiersten White, and Jennifer McMahon.--Lauren Hackert
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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