White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson

Author: Tiffany D.Jackson 

Title: White Smoke

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Published: 2021

Pages: 384

Genre: Young Adult / Horror 

 

     Marigold is running from ghosts. The phantoms of her old life keep haunting her, but a move with her newly blended family from their small California beach town to the embattled Midwestern city of Cedarville might be the fresh start she needs. Her mom has accepted a new job with the Sterling Foundation that comes with a free house, one that Mari now has to share with her bratty ten-year-old stepsister, Piper. The renovated picture-perfect home on Maple Street, sitting between dilapidated houses, surrounded by wary neighbors has its . . . secrets. That's only half the problem: household items vanish, doors open on their own, lights turn off, shadows walk past rooms, voices can be heard in the walls, and there's a foul smell seeping through the vents only Mari seems to notice. Worse: Piper keeps talking about a friend who wants Mari gone.

     Sometimes I remind just how great book social media can be. If not for a few lazy minutes flipping through Twitter I would probably never have come across White Smoke. As we all know you can be aimlessly scrolling and a picture grabs your attention. Usual a proof copy for a book a few months out, but never the less it makes you stop and go looking for it. As was the case with White Smoke. For a genre, I don't read too often and an author I had never heard of before it becomes a godsend. Even more so as it's a bit of a trek for me to get to the nearest book store. But when I started to read the blurb I felt more drawn to trying to grab a copy. Maybe it was in part due to having been on a binge-watch of horror films around the same time. Either way, I slapped it on pre-order and waited for it to turn up. 

     As we step foot through the threshold of Marigold's new home her world is in chaos. Nothing like turning your teen child's life upside than trying to merge two families into one and then moving them halfway across the country. She is as we would expect every teenager to be Angry and confused about her world. Desperately trying to struggle with that in-between part of our lives, never quite one thing or another. But expected to be an adult even though they are not. And with any new place comes new friends and as she slowly starts to rebuild her life we get to experience that nervous anxiety-driven world of hoping to find your people all over again. The dynamics at play here felt very organic and as these people swirled and bumped off each other I was swept up in their vortex. I have to say I fully embraced this little bubble. You can feel yourself become protective of Marigold and her friends and family. With each twist of the screw, you want to shield them from what harm would appear to be lurking in her new home. 

     I love the way this narrative has been put together, even though you know that's it's a horror-thriller going in. The sibling rivalry seems so real that you have to question if all that takes place is in fact just Marigold being stitched up by her little sister. Then again that just goes to show how good Jackson is. She allows us to question even our own understanding of the situation we believe we know more about than our hero. Could it be that her hero is in fact just losing her mind with all the stresses going on in her life? But then again this is a horror story and with that comes so many of my favorite little tropes. And in no way does this work as a determinant of her work.  The more time I spent with this book it become so obvious that she has a great reverence for the genre. It brought a small smile to my face as I saw a nod here and there to others' works. Jackson has created a work that is most definitely her own. A distinctive voice that does what most great works in this genre do. Whilst it may seem like a straight-up haunted house novel she picks at the fabrics of our modern society and her heroes' place in it. 

     I'm really glad I came across this book, it gave me a great place to get lost in on these cold winter nights. After all this genre of book, never really give the same kick when the sun is shining and the shadows are banished from our world.  She gave me that more classic and subtle kind of ghost story that seems to be becoming more popular again, which I really love reading or watching. Her characters are ones we can get to grips with easily and she made me care about each and every one of them. And as for that twist, the feeling of whiplash it gives us leaves you breathless, but also tilting your head and go ahhh that makes so much sense now. If you have a teen looking to get into the genre then definitely get them this book and as for the old ones I'm sure you will find a great deal of enjoyment within these pages too.