The Turning

By Francine Prose

A dark house. An isolated island. Strange dreams and even stranger visions . . . Jack is spending the summer on a private island far from modern conveniences. No Wi-Fi, no cell service, no one else on the island but a housekeeper and the two very peculiar children in his care. The first time Jack sees the huge black mansion atop a windswept hill, he senses something cold, something more sinister than even the dark house itself. Soon, he feels terribly isolated and alone. Yet he is not alone. The house has visitors--peering in the windows, staring from across the shore. But why doesn't anyone else see them . . . and what do they want? As secrets are revealed and darker truths surface, Jack desperately struggles to maintain a grip on reality. He knows what he sees, and he isn't crazy. . . . Or is he? From nationally acclaimed author Francine Prose comes a mind-bending story that will leave you realizing how subtle the lines that separate reality, imagination, and insanity really are.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061999660
• ISBN13: 9780061999666
• Release Date: September 2012
• Publisher: Harperteen
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 and higher

Customer Reviews

Modern Retelling of 'The Turn of the Screw' and others

This is a modern story taken straight from Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw." Or, "The Innocents." It a story about a young boy who takes a job as a companion on a remote island to two very adult-like children named Flora and Miles. Their previous nannies and teachers have all left for one reason or another and the two children live in the remote isolated house (Mile's having been kicked out of boarding school) with their cook, Linda. Without giving spoilers, the story is about the teenage boy dealing with the presence or influence of the last nanny and the handyman. It's a pretty easy read. I read it in a few hours. No where near the quality of the classic story and written in a way more for younger people, but good on its own and good for a reader not familiar with The Turn of The Screw. It could persuade them to give the classic a try.