Mayhem

A YA feminist mash up inspired by The Lost Boys and The Craft.

It's 1987 and unfortunately it's not all Madonna and cherry lip balm. Mayhem Brayburn has always known there was something off about her and her mother, Roxy. Maybe it has to do with Roxy's constant physical pain, or maybe with Mayhem's own irresistible pull to water. Either way, she knows they aren't like everyone else. But when May's stepfather finally goes too far, Roxy and Mayhem flee to Santa Maria, California, the coastal beach town that holds the answers to all of Mayhem's questions about who her mother is, her estranged family, and the mysteries of her own self. There she meets the kids who live with her aunt, and it opens the door to the magic that runs through the female lineage in her family, the very magic Mayhem is next in line to inherit and which will change her life for good. But when she gets wrapped up in the search for the man who has been kidnapping girls from the beach, her life takes another dangerous turn and she is forced to face the price of vigilante justice and to ask herself whether revenge is worth the cost.

From the acclaimed author of This Raging Light and But Then I Came Back, Estelle Laure offers a riveting and complex story with magical elements about a a family of women contending with what appears to be an irreversible destiny, taking control and saying when enough is enough.

Title: Mayhem

Author: Estelle Laure

Genre: YA Contemporary Fiction / Fantasy

Pages: 304

Publishing Date: 07/14/2020

Publishing House: Wednesday books

Language: English

ISBN: 1250297931 

ISBN13: 9781250297938

My Review

I feel Mayhem. Her brokenness. Her journey. Her resolve. I feel Mayhem.

Mayhem is a unique book in which different components in the story defy the borders of the genre in a swoop through contemporary fiction, mystery, and a bit of fantastical.

It's 1987 and Mayhem arrives after a long car ride with her mother Roxy at her aunt's house in Santa Maria, CA. The two of them have fled the abusive relationship of May's stepfather for good, this time.

Roxy could not be more different from her mother as Mayhem observes. After all, they are Brayburn women, a lineage that appears to have made a name for itself in that little coastal town as she finds out.

Mayhem watches her mother struggle with drugs to get "over" her relationship while she tries to keep busy with the kids that live with her aunt. It turns out they are quite a tumultuous bunch who live into the night and sleep most of the day.

Something awful is happening in the town. A girl snatcher is taking young women and there are many unsolved cases of missing girls and killings locally. The gang invites Mayhem to investigate and tell her about certain gifts of women in the Brayburn lineage while a diary in Roxy's house alludes to family secrets that she didn't know about.

It is Roxy's recovery process and the newfound gifts that make Mayhem determined to withstand her stepfather's taunts when he calls and shows up.

A raw and mysterious read that starts with an amazing foreword by the author and ends with a character to root for. This story is unique, quirky, and shockingly sharp. Elements of abuse, domestic violence, drug use, murder, and suicide are included in this story.

Overall I liked this novel. What stood out to me was the deep pain that was innately ingrained into Mayhem and her mother. It is something that only those that have experienced abuse can maybe relate too or depict in the words, but my sensitivity meter kept going off in many places of the novel. Therefore, I want to say that it was very exquisite on the mark in regards to expression and characterization.

The other thing that stood out to me was the California 80's vibe. It was just reeking in the salaciousness of beachgoers, parties, and attitude/style. Talk about biking to events, kids getting into stuff they shouldn't, some romance and angst, some adventure and trying out new things...just the whole deal of teenage freedom and Mayhem being thrown into the mix of it for many firsts.

Throughout the novel, there are diary entry pages to read that elude to some magical gifts of the Brayburn woman and it becomes a transformational tool for Mayhem. This element of magical realism served as a bridge-way to deal with what was going on in her life.

Definitely, a uniquely crafted novel that some say mirrors parts of 'The Lost Boys', but I found there to be only minor similarities.

This book is simply special in its own way.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

All opinions are my own. Thank you so much!