(Possible spoilers ahead. Not really but you can’t say I didn’t warn you.)
In the basement of the Wasserman Children’s Psychiatric Facility a secret is hidden; her name is Sarah Voorsanger. She is a very special girl, how special and how far her caregivers will push her is something psych student Jess Chambers will find out with devastating results.
“The Reach” is Nate Kenyon’s second offering from the powerhouse horror publisher Leisure Books. Leisure has revitalized the paperback horror industry and one of the ways they’ve done that is by bringing in new voices into the fold, Nate Kenyon’s writing is a shining example of why horror readers should be rejoicing. With “The Reach”, Kenyon pays tribute to Stephen King’s “Firestarter” while at the same time distinguishing himself from the earlier work with his own unique voice. And Sarah is no Charlie (though almost as if to wink at the reader, Kenyon names a secondary female character Charlie). Where as King’s loveable little girl is easy to identify with and get close to Kenyon’s is isolated for the first part of the book, showing how hard it can be for children left to a financially burdened and hardened psychiatric system.
Jess Chambers is brought in by a professor at her school to help connect with Sarah. Through Jess’s interaction with her academic mentor, the enigmatic Professor Jean Shelley, and her new patient we find out that the young student has a past rife with mental illnesses (alcoholic mother) and disabilities (autistic younger brother) that have pushed her to work harder at everything she does. Jess is a character Kenyon makes the reader care about but she also functions as a tool for the writer to express some loose views on the treatment of the mentally handicapped as well as an in-depth knowledge of psychiatry as it relates to the paranormal. On the flipside of the coin he gives the reader Dr. Evan Wasserman, head of the facility and Sarah’s primary psychiatrist/caregiver/enemy, who “diagnosed” Sarah as having a schizophreniform psychotic disorder. Wasserman is a man we can hate — until he is exposed as the victim of misplaced love and an unfortunate pawn in the grand corporate scheme of things that come to pass.
There are just over a handful of characters involved in what quickly reveals itself to be a tightly woven mystery that Jess must navigate herself through if she has any hope of saving Sarah from having her growing power exploited by corporations and self-motivated medical professionals. At times the journey is emotional, making the reader’s eyes water and at other times disturbing to read the depths of human darkness. Kenyon knows how to keep a balance between character and setting that brings on a chilling atmosphere, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat and afraid to put the book down. With each page I needed to know what happens next. I was horrified to find myself no different than Sarah’s enemies, wanting to see her push those powers to their limits. And when the suspense came to its climax with a scene befitting a Hollywood action blockbuster Sarah’s “reach” still touched me in the midst of chaos and destruction.
So far Nate Kenyon has not produced a work I wouldn’t recommend and “The Reach” is no exception. Read it if you’re looking for a story that reminds you of King’s older works but own it because the characters and the writing will make you want to read it again and again.
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