Daylight Saving

After catching his mum in an affair, Daniel is less than enthusiastic about vacationing with his lovelorn father, especially at Leisure World -- a tacky sports resort for unadventurous outdoorsy types. A mysterious girl named Lexi distracts Daniel from his father’s sloppy emotional recovery and from his own guilt. But Lexi is a puzzle to Daniel: her watch ticks backward, her skin shows wounds that worsen by the day, and she refuses to answer any questions about herself. Is she is a real person, a ghost, or a figment of Daniel’s imagination? When Daniel, too, begins to suffer inexplicable injuries, he endeavors to discover Lexi’s secrets in order to save them both. Daniel’s tale is a sturdy coming-of-age narrative; the unpopular, unhappy boy grows closer to his father and begins a tentative flirtation with Lexi while gaining confidence and increasing self-esteem. However, there is also a growing sense of apprehension throughout the novel as the threat against the main characters slowly comes into view. The story’s Leisure World setting -- a commercialized faux-wilderness -- effectively accentuates Daniel’s difficulty in distinguishing between reality and fantasy until his worst fears about Lexi’s fate are confirmed. The strength of Hogan’s complexly drawn relationships grounds readers in this unique and eerie sort-of ghost story. jessica tackett