I got this softcover at this year's Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival in Haverhill, MA. Its premise: Mitch, a man who's been caring for his young niece Sophie ever since Sophie's mother abandoned her, is grief-stricken when the child dies - only to find himself torn between horror and hope when she returns from the dead, clearly a walking corpse and yet with memories of her uncle. These reawakenings of dead children are happening more and more often, with growing reactions - religious extremism, governmental regulation, and very personal trauma...

It turns out that there's a reason why these particular children are coming back, and it's not a pretty one, though it leads to some viscerally satisfying scenes of vengeance. And then there's the question of what lengths people will go to to have their children fully restored to life and health, once they realize what that will cost! There are dramatic scenes as well; Mitch and his new lover (who's put up with a LOT re the revived Sophie) go to rescue Sophie from her own mother, who showed up in company with an anti-resurrected-children evangelist and have grim plans for the kids.

At times the story was a bit uneven, but it had some effective scenes of horror - and of hope.

[The concept reminded me of John Ajvide Lindqvist's novel Handling the Undead, though its revenants weren't confined to children and had a rather different origin - and result. But the poignant aspects of parents craving to have a lost child back at any cost appear in both books.]

I left this book in the Little Free Library on this rainy day; hope someone enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]

** Released for the 2023 4 Elements challenge. **