STUDENT WRITER SAM JONES RECOMMENDS BETTER THE DEVIL
Better the Devil by Erik J. Brown is an engaging book that traces the story of a 16-year-old queer boy who lives in West Virginia, America, with his two parents, who are heavily religious. Although this is already a lot to deal with, he’s about to face a whole new problem that will scar and change his life.
His life changes when his parents try to send him to a religious camp to “cure” him of being gay. He’s shocked by this and plans to escape before he gets sent away. After living on the streets for nine months, one lonely day, he gets arrested for stealing and gets sent to the station, where he notices a shocking resemblance to a kid who went missing 10 years ago. This is when he decides to take the identity of Nate Beaumont.
Now living as Nate, he meets the neighbour kid, Miles, who has had a podcast about Nate’s disappearance for years and wants answers now that Nate is back. The mother, Valencia, is super happy her child is back however, the brother, Easton, and father are suspicious and distant. What follows are random unexplained events and the uncovering of a truth and a mystery that needs to be solved.
In Better the Devil, I love the plot and the way the story is paced; it’s only told through the perspective of the character living as Nate Beaumont, but it feels like everyone has their own story, and the book keeps pulling you in over and over, with new information and plot twists.
I recommend this book to lovers of detective and mystery books. Nate literally takes on a new persona, and he lives a whole new life and strange things happen with no clear answers. This book will keep readers guessing untill the very last page.
Sam Jones is a Grade 10 student at Fredericton High School who was born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand. Growing up, he spent much of his time outdoors mountain biking and hiking, while also participating in a variety of sports. His hard work earned him recognition as best hockey goalie, most improved athlete, and top of the class. After moving to Canada with his family, Sam has continued to explore new opportunities and hopes to keep learning about the world and adding new chapters to his life.