Review: THE SCATTERING by Kimberly McCreight

If you thought THE OUTLIERS by Kimberly McCreight, which I reviewed earlier this week, was trippy and out-there, just wait until you get your hands on the brand-new sequel, THE SCATTERING. There are finally ANSWERS to a lot of questions we had at the beginning of the first book, so readers won't be desperately trying to piece together what's going on. There are also a lot of new questions arising, too, ones that will be answered next spring when the final book releases.

One great thing about THE SCATTERING is watching Wylie slowly begin reclaiming her life. She's such a mess in the first book, which begins shortly after her mother dies, and then she goes through so much trauma after her best friend is kidnapped and she learns the truth about her scientific research. She can't even bear to go outside. Now, she's recovering, slowly, and becoming herself again. When she once more finds herself in a tight spot, locked in a hospital because she may have a contagious disease, she's prepared. She knows that this is a lie, and she knows that she's there to be experimented on, as are the other patients. She decides she's going to get out--and she's going to get everyone else out, too.

Wylie becomes so much stronger, and she cares so much about other people. A lot of people in her situation would take the chance to leave when they can and not worry about everyone else, especially if some people had been mean and stand-offish. I really like the way that Wylie has grown more of a backbone and has faith in herself now. It's very different from the scared girl we met at the beginning of her story.

I also liked seeing more interaction with her family, especially her twin brother Gideon, who is hurting in a very different way and acting out because of it. I'm hoping he'll begin to heal in the third book and that we'll continue to see more of him. I'd also like to see more of Jasper the first time around and hope he begins to find sturdier ground on which to stand. Nobody in this series is in a great mental place because of all the things they've gone through, and so far, only Wylie has begun to heal. I really hope everyone gets to a better place by the time the series ends! The book talks a lot about how traumatic events can lead to PTSD and explores things teens may be dealing with such as anxiety and depression. They may even contemplate suicide. It's important to know that, even in dark times, nobody is ever alone, and it's good to have these themes explored in books and to see that if a character can come out stronger in the end, so can you.

The thing about psychological thrillers is that it's hard to review them without giving things away, which always makes for shorter reviews. For example, the back half of the book has things getting all messed up and twisted again, and readers once more don't know who they can trust. I have a few theories so far, and one of them definitely comes true by the book's ending. I really want to get my hands on the finale to finally have all the answers once and for all!

THE SCATTERING by Kimberly McCreight was published on May 2, 2017 by HarperCollins.