BOOK REVIEW: CLOSER STILL BY ​RICHARD FARREN BARBER

“Which is worse for a troubled teenage girl…
Being haunted or bullied?”

In an intelligent change of direction Richard Farren Barber follows his excellent near-apocalyptic thriller “Perfect Darkness, Perfect Silence” with a beautifully paced ghost story. This 125-page tale will be easily devoured in one sitting and revolves a group of fifteen year-old-girls who were once friends. When the story opens the main character, Rachel, is being bullied by her former friends who torment her mercilessly, both physically, verbally and online. 
 
Much of the action takes place in Rachel’s bedroom, and Richard Farren Barber is convincing in getting inside the head of a deeply unhappy, lonely, and isolated teenage girl who has been ostracised from her friendship group. One of the major strengths of “Closer Still” is that until quite late in the novella we are unsure why Rachel has been dumped by the rest of the group and victimise her whenever they get the chance. There is more going on than meets the eye and the story will have you thinking of the loud-mouths from your own teenage years.
 
When not hiding in her bedroom the story follows Rachel to school where the bullying continues. She tries to avoid the others but is frequently cornered in dark cloak-rooms or on the journey to and from school. Something about the way she holds herself says ‘victim’ and as the novella develops, teachers and parents get involved, with Rachel becoming more isolated.
 
The way in which “Closer Still” balances the mundane hustle and bustle of daily school life with the supernatural is exceptionally well handled. From the opening pages it is revealed that Rachel sees the ghost of her recently deceased best friend, Katie. I don’t want to reveal too much more about the plot except to say that Katie was also a member of the same friendship group as the bullies Sarah (who is the leader), Francine and Joanne. Small parts of the novella are also seen from the point of view of the other girls.
 
The ghost Katie is a fine creation. She retains many of her human characteristics and gives off mixed messages in her friendship with Rachel but gets darker as the story moves on. Indeed, are they friends at all? From Rachel’s point of view, it is better to have a friend who is a ghost rather than no friends at all. Although I could see it coming, the author keeps the circumstances of Katie’s death nicely shrouded until very near the end. It very believable conveyed how a tiny act can escalate with truly horrible consequences.
 
This has been released as an adult novella, however, it has many of the key hallmarks of a top-notch YA read. It ticks many YA boxes: all the leading characters are teenage girls, the theme is bullying, the predominate setting are school and the bedroom, social media is involved and adults really take a backseat in the story. I read a lot of YA horror and believe this short snappy read could be really popular with teenagers. I then tested it on my thirteen-year-old daughter, who read it in two sittings, and genuinely thought it was aged at her age group. There are some violent, and pretty freaky sequences near the end, but nothing teenagers cannot handle. “Closer Still” is only 125 pages and could be the perfect gift for a teenager who does not read much or is put off by long books. Calling this novella YA is not any kind of criticism, some ghost stories are universal, and this is one of those. The theme of bullying is also one most of us adult readers will identify with on some level, so this book really is suitable for anyone.
 
I thoroughly enjoyed this very well written, atmospheric and thoughtful ghost story, if I was being hyper critical I would comment that perhaps not enough happened and that some adult readers might expect a slightly more complex story.  However, for a novella it ticked all the key boxes with very well drawn characters, a believable storyline in an everyday school setting, it was atmospheric, had a convincing supernatural presence with a strong finish. Recommended. 
 
Tony Jones