Book review – The Raising by Laura Kasischke

The scene of the accident was bloodless, and beautiful …

A sudden death. In Godwin Honors Hall, the walls are draped in black. The college is in mourning for Nicole Werner, a blonde and beautiful prom queen who died in a car crash last semester. She was a straight-A student, and a prized member of the Virgin Sisters, the most powerful sorority on campus.

A feverish obsession. Nicole’s boyfriend Craig was at the wheel that night. He has no memory of the crash, but he is plagued by guilt. For as winter sets in and the nights darken, Nicole’s death dominates college life. Candlelit vigils and fetishistic rituals become nightly events -and then the hauntings begin.

A flicker of suspicion. Craig’s roommate, Perry, doesn’t believe in ghosts. A no-nonsense type who always thought Nicole was as manipulative as she was charming, he refuses to be swept up by the hysteria. But when he and his fellow sceptics join forces, he too sees Nicole’s spirit in the crumbling college halls.

Something very strange is going on…

I’ve written before about my fascination with American colleges, sororities and fraternities so was very excited to receive a copy of The Raising for review. The novel charts events surrounding the death of Nicole Werner the blond, beautiful, clever prom queen and member of the Omega Theta Tau sorority. Starting with a prologue where Shelly, a character who we learn more about later in the novel, describes coming across the scene of the accident, the element of mystery is established almost immediately as Shelly tells of her attempts to get newspapers and police to correct the public account of the accident which is dramatically different to what she actually saw.

I really liked the structure of The Raising; the story darts back and forth between the present, where Nicole’s boyfriend Craig (who remembers nothing of the accident and is branded a murderer on campus) and his roommate Perry (who grew up with Nicole) are trying to move on with their lives and the past, telling of events leading up to Nicole’s death. The books consists of 110 short chapters and at times the narrative moves between past and present even within a chapter building the story little by little and creating more mystery as it does so.

In addition to Craig, Perry and Nicole, there are a number of other key characters whose lives are irrevocably changed by Nicole’s death and the events that follow.  These characters are cleverly written into the story and become more and more embroiled in it as the book progresses. I’ve already mentioned Shelly, the college administrator who witnessed the accident and whose encounter with Nicole’s roommate leads to a dramatic twist in the tale. My favourite character though was Professor Mira Polson who teaches a course at the college on death and the myths and legends surrounding it. Trying to cope with being the main breadwinner in her family; spending time with her two year old twins and keep her career on track, I felt a lot of sympathy for Mira’s character and it was refreshing to see a different type of ‘mum’ character. The varied characters in The Raising provide a really interesting depth to the story, making it weightier than the initial impression that the book is just about teenagers’ fascination with death.

As the story progresses it becomes clear that this isn’t a simple case of a tragic accident; mysteries surrounding the death of a previous student, Alice Meyer, come to light as does the disappearance of another girl from Nicole’s sorority. Coupled with haunting encounters with both Alice and Nicole on campus by Perry, Craig and others, the tension and spookiness of the story escalates to dramatic conclusions for a number of the key characters. My only disappointment was that the ending, which is set fourteen years later, didn’t really conclude the story fully and leaves many of the questions surrounding Nicole’s death open, but to give credit, the book left me with lots to think about and has certainly stuck in my mind!

This is an ‘adult’ book but will definitely appeal to young adult readers as well. The story is stylishly written and incorporates elements of the supernatural, conspiracy theory, drama and high emotional tension too to make for a gripping read. All of the characters have depth and strong backgrounds with a really good mix of character types which is refreshing. I haven’t read any of Kasischke’s previous work but will definitely be looking to read more as I really like her style.

4/5

The Raising is out now and I’d like to thank Becci from Corvus for sending me a copy to review.