Kate Alender's The Companion , at first, appears to be a haunting story of a recently orphaned girl, Margot, who comes to live at a fancy country estate to serve as companion to the family's catatonic daughter, Agatha.
However, The Companion is less YA horror and more reprized Victorian novel; Alender relies on Victorian tropes like a pitiable orphan, creepy estate, and the titular woman in the attic. Readers do not need another novel that vilifies mental illness. The image of the blankly-staring catatonic woman is overused. Additionally, Alender's teenage characters speak in stilted cliches; such as Margot's angry roommate at the orphan facility.
If the rest of Alender's novel moves beyond the horror movie portrayal of mental illness and explores more realistic psychological causes, then the novel would be more exciting. While I personally did not enjoy my first look at the companion, other young adult readers might find the novel to be sufficiently creepy and enjoyable.
However, The Companion is less YA horror and more reprized Victorian novel; Alender relies on Victorian tropes like a pitiable orphan, creepy estate, and the titular woman in the attic. Readers do not need another novel that vilifies mental illness. The image of the blankly-staring catatonic woman is overused. Additionally, Alender's teenage characters speak in stilted cliches; such as Margot's angry roommate at the orphan facility.
If the rest of Alender's novel moves beyond the horror movie portrayal of mental illness and explores more realistic psychological causes, then the novel would be more exciting. While I personally did not enjoy my first look at the companion, other young adult readers might find the novel to be sufficiently creepy and enjoyable.