The Reformatory Review

Why didn’t you guys tell me how good The Reformatory is?? Well, actually, I take that back because a lot of you did. It just took me forever to read it. But now that I have let’s review it.

Synopsis:

Gracetown, Florida

June 1950

Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie’s journey further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real horror of the school they call The Reformatory.

Robbie has a talent for seeing ghosts, or haints. But what was once a comfort to him after the loss of his mother has become a window to the truth of what happens at the reformatory. Boys forced to work to remediate their so-called crimes have gone missing, but the haints Robbie sees hint at worse things. Through his friends Redbone and Blue, Robbie is learning not just the rules but how to survive. Meanwhile, Gloria is rallying every family member and connection in Florida to find a way to get Robbie out before it’s too late.

The Reformatory is a haunting work of historical fiction written as only American Book Award–winning author Tananarive Due could, by piecing together the life of the relative her family never spoke of and bringing his tragedy and those of so many others at the infamous Dozier School for Boys to the light in this riveting novel.

My Thoughts on The Reformatory

This book is important, and you need to read it. I don’t care what your preferred genre is. You need to read it. It’s a great horror story with a big message. And the horror in this story comes from humans and spirits. The ghosts in this story are some of the best I’ve ever read. And some of the humans in this story are some of the worst I’ve ever read. They were developed well but they were absolutely infuriating. The injustice in this story was sickening and heartbreaking. It’s not an easy read, but it’s a necessary read. This review is going to be short. I don’t want to give anything away. This is one of those stories that you need to experience for yourself. But I will say it is impeccably written and one I couldn’t put down.

My Rating: 5/5