Hailey Wagner is the “It” girl at Bethington High: popular, beautiful and girlfriend of the heir to a local brewer dynasty. Micah, son of the town’s sheriff, maintains a powerful reputation as a flirty, nonchalant bad boy. And Ava’s the new girl who works at a wildlife center to escape her status as a social outcast—and from the memory of a terrible night that left her wounded, inside and out. As they try to survive high school, Hailey, Micah and Ava circle around one another, creating facades to hide their deeper struggles and intentions. Soon, strange things start happening to Ava, and events turn from odd to horrific as the forest comes alive and the town’s secrets are unearthed—including tales of an ancient entity that once plagued Bethington’s residents.
What Rough Beast by Mindy McGinnis juggles each of their perspectives, allowing readers to see how their inner worlds affect the world around them—including one another. All three characters are sarcastic, frustrated and angry, and McGinnis gives them strong, opinionated voices that color the story with passionate emotion. Her prose is smart and sensory, navigating gut-wrenching nausea and laugh-out-loud humor with ease.
The book walks the fine line between soberly horrifying and darkly funny as it exposes small-town horrors both realistic and supernatural. Featuring many types of horror, including eco-horror, body horror and psychological horror, What Rough Beast is a mature YA novel for readers seeking a serious read with strong voices. McGinnis doesn’t shy away from challenging topics like abuse, neglect and alcoholism, but she does so with the intent to speak about these issues with clarity and openness. What Rough Beast is viscerally honest about the teenage experience. Growing up can be grotesque.