The Glare by Margot Harrison - HIGH

The Glare by Margot Harrison, 327 pages. Hyperion (Disney Book Group), 2020. $18

Language: R (53 Swears, 8 ‘F’ words); Mature Content: PG-13; Violence: PG-13

BUYING ADVISORY: HS – OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Hedda has spent the last ten years living in seclusion on a ranch with her mom. Her mom tells her she did this for Hedda’s own good, because when Hedda was 6 years old she had an experience with digital devices (which Hedda called “the glare”) that sent her “off-kilter.” Hedda now has to face the world of the glare again as she returns to live with her father in suburban California—where screens are everywhere. Quickly, Hedda realizes what the glare actually is—a first person shooter video game that messes with your mind. The game sends you texts to encourage you to keep playing and mocks you when you die. There is an urban legend surrounding the glare that says that if you die thirteen times on level thirteen, you die in real life. Hedda laughs this off until her friends start getting hurt. Now Hedda has to get to the bottom of the legend to save her friends, as well as her own sanity.

Hedda's story took me some time to get into, in part because of the writing style. My personal preference is that I dislike novels written in present tense, as this book is, because it makes them feel passive. Once I got passed that, however, I found myself enjoying the story. Some of the interesting themes are relevant today  - the danger of digital devices and how they can affect mental health, particularly teenagers. We see good examples of teenagers dealing with different mental and emotional difficulties while they struggle to go about their normal lives. “The glare” forces them to focus on their difficulties and their shame and it damages them. Older teenagers would find this story compelling because of these themes, as well as the action sequences and twists that are revealed throughout the plot.

John Rollins – Junior High English Teacher