Secrets to Tell [Paperback]

"Secrets to Tell" was published in 1994, when paperback horror for preteens was all the rage. (Think Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine.) Avon Books was clearly looking to capitalize on this trend when they designed the cover for this book. The title sprawled on the front in jagged red letters, the word NIGHTMARE in huge letters on the back, the lurid cover copy ("Trapped in the terrifying darkness, with the handsome stranger she's just getting to know. And the horrifying discovery the she's awakening to her worst nightmare . . .") - all combine to give the impression that this is a thriller.

It's not. Sure, there's a heavy element of suspense, but this is by no means a horror novel. It's about a group of mildly troubled adolescents on a therapeutic backpacking trip. A series of rather dangerous pranks by one of the campers sets up an air of danger similar to what you might expect from the Pike/Stine genre, but this particular character is removed from the rest of the group less than halfway through the novel, and then except for a couple of chapters at the end in which two of the characters stumble across something they shouldn't in the woods, the worst that happens is the group getting lost in the wilderness for a couple hours and the protagonist struggling with her own fears. There's never a villain you can put a name to.

And that in itself is fine. I picked up this book expecting an hour or two of cheap thrills, and I was disappointed - but I wouldn't be so crass as to judge a book by its cover, or rather to condemn it for not living up to what its cover seemed to imply. When I realized that what I was reading wasn't the bubblegum-thriller I was expecting, I adjusted my expectations accordingly and kept turning the pages. I was still disappointed. The characters and their predicament never truly engaged me. The fact that this therapy trip is a lawsuit waiting to happen (I have to wonder how many of the parents who agreed to send their youngsters on this trip knew that the therapist had never hiked that particular route before, or that one of the other campers was a pyromaniac) makes it hard to lose myself in the story; suspension of disbelief shouldn't be an issue for a novel like this. The protagonist's revelations of self-discovery are trite and banal, and if you can't see them coming a mile off, you need to get out more. I can't tell whether the protagonist is supposed to have some gift of precognition with her dreams, or if they're a combination of subconscious mental processes and cheap foreshadowing.

This slight novel fails to thrill, fails to move, fails to enlighten . . . and ultimately fails to entertain. If you want a few shivers, try Beverly Hastings instead. If you want troubled kids finding themselves under grueling circumstances, try Louis Sachar's "Holes."

I read this book in about 5th grade, although I don't think it's geared for that age group. I still remember it as a great read (I'm now in college).

The two main characters come together believably enough and the danger is quite real (from what I recall). I'd recommend giving this one a read if you're into suspense and mystery, with a dash of (very light) romance. =)

› Go to Amazon U.S. to see both reviews  3.5 out of 5 stars