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Downside #3
The New Girl
There's something strange about the new girl.
Ryan Devlin, a predator with a past, has been forced to take a job as a handyman at an exclusive private school, Crossley College. He's losing his battle to suppress his growing fascination with a new girl who seems to have a strange effect on the children around her.
Tara Marais fills her empty days by volunteering at Crossley's library. Tara is desperate, but unable, to have a baby of her own, so she makes Reborns - eerily lifelike newborn dolls. She's delighted when she receives a commission from the mysterious 'Vader Batiss', but horrified when she sees the photograph of the baby she's been asked to create...
As the new girl's unusual influence continues to spread through the corridors of the school, both Tara and Ryan are being drawn into a terrifying scheme - one that will have an impact on every pupil at Crossley College.
Ryan Devlin, a predator with a past, has been forced to take a job as a handyman at an exclusive private school, Crossley College. He's losing his battle to suppress his growing fascination with a new girl who seems to have a strange effect on the children around her.
Tara Marais fills her empty days by volunteering at Crossley's library. Tara is desperate, but unable, to have a baby of her own, so she makes Reborns - eerily lifelike newborn dolls. She's delighted when she receives a commission from the mysterious 'Vader Batiss', but horrified when she sees the photograph of the baby she's been asked to create...
As the new girl's unusual influence continues to spread through the corridors of the school, both Tara and Ryan are being drawn into a terrifying scheme - one that will have an impact on every pupil at Crossley College.
304 pages, Paperback
First published October 3, 2013
7 people are currently reading
392 people want to read
About the author
S.L. Grey
17 books198 followersS.L. Grey is a collaboration between Sarah Lotz and Louis Greenberg. Sarah is a novelist and screenwriter and die-hard zombie fanatic. She writes crime novels and thrillers under her own name, and as Lily Herne she and her daughter Savannah Lotz write the Deadlands series of zombie novels for young adults. Louis is a Johannesburg-based fiction writer and editor. He was a bookseller for several years, and has a Master's degree in vampire fiction and a doctorate in post-religious apocalyptic fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
January 21, 2021
Ayyyy this book went full Downside.
This series messes with me so much. They're all standalone books but the experience is much more fulfilling when you read them in order. So taking that into consideration, this review may contain spoilers for the previous two books, The Mall and The Ward.
This book spoils us with three viewpoints: Ryan, Tara and Penter, with the latter giving us our very first glimpse into the mind of a Downsider. The blurb will make the uninitiated think this is about a pervert fascinated by the new girl at the school where he works, and a lonely woman who makes lifelike dolls and receives a rather strange commission. But those of us who know about the alternate world this series is based around will realise early on that there's something much more sinister happening.
The Downside plot has gone upside, with them making waves in our world this time. They're hiding in plain sight at a school this time, and their project involves something to do with children. But what is the connection to the strange baby-doll that has been requested of Tara? And exactly what is this fake family tasked to do?
I loved how much more information this unveiled about the Downside, yet I still long for more and more of this strange world. It's finally starting to become a clearer picture in this novel, but I feel like I will always have questions, and always want to know more. It was such a great experience reading the chapters from Penter's POV but it's still a puzzle to work out.
At the same time, this one was not quite as tense and puzzling as The Mall and not quite as horrifying as The Ward. There's a flicker of disgust at Ryan's perverted ways, and a clench of sympathy for Tara's twisted devotion to her lifelike dolls, but ultimately this feels more like a darker fantasy novel where the goal is just to provide more detail about the Downside. As such, it's more intriguing than horrifying.
While they can be considered standalone novels, I don't know that this one will be interesting to anyone but those like me who are thirsting for more knowledge of the Downside. Even then, I found myself hoping for more references or cameos from characters I'd met in the previous novels to properly tie it all together. But this is another section of their world again, so once again it's a foreign world that we know very little about. There's far more to learn here, though, and that was what I enjoyed most. I believe this is the last of the series and that makes me sad, because I still want to know so much more about it.
The story itself basks in the strangeness we have come to expect from this series, so if you're going in cold, prepare to be very, very confused. If you've read the previous novels, you won't get quite the same chills but you'll get a lot more information about this strange other world.
Not my favourite of the series for plot, but it felt like a fix I needed to feed my strange addiction to this world.
This series messes with me so much. They're all standalone books but the experience is much more fulfilling when you read them in order. So taking that into consideration, this review may contain spoilers for the previous two books, The Mall and The Ward.
This book spoils us with three viewpoints: Ryan, Tara and Penter, with the latter giving us our very first glimpse into the mind of a Downsider. The blurb will make the uninitiated think this is about a pervert fascinated by the new girl at the school where he works, and a lonely woman who makes lifelike dolls and receives a rather strange commission. But those of us who know about the alternate world this series is based around will realise early on that there's something much more sinister happening.
The Downside plot has gone upside, with them making waves in our world this time. They're hiding in plain sight at a school this time, and their project involves something to do with children. But what is the connection to the strange baby-doll that has been requested of Tara? And exactly what is this fake family tasked to do?
I loved how much more information this unveiled about the Downside, yet I still long for more and more of this strange world. It's finally starting to become a clearer picture in this novel, but I feel like I will always have questions, and always want to know more. It was such a great experience reading the chapters from Penter's POV but it's still a puzzle to work out.
At the same time, this one was not quite as tense and puzzling as The Mall and not quite as horrifying as The Ward. There's a flicker of disgust at Ryan's perverted ways, and a clench of sympathy for Tara's twisted devotion to her lifelike dolls, but ultimately this feels more like a darker fantasy novel where the goal is just to provide more detail about the Downside. As such, it's more intriguing than horrifying.
While they can be considered standalone novels, I don't know that this one will be interesting to anyone but those like me who are thirsting for more knowledge of the Downside. Even then, I found myself hoping for more references or cameos from characters I'd met in the previous novels to properly tie it all together. But this is another section of their world again, so once again it's a foreign world that we know very little about. There's far more to learn here, though, and that was what I enjoyed most. I believe this is the last of the series and that makes me sad, because I still want to know so much more about it.
The story itself basks in the strangeness we have come to expect from this series, so if you're going in cold, prepare to be very, very confused. If you've read the previous novels, you won't get quite the same chills but you'll get a lot more information about this strange other world.
Not my favourite of the series for plot, but it felt like a fix I needed to feed my strange addiction to this world.
May 2, 2019
You can read this review and others on my blog!
The New Girl is the third and final installment in the Downside series by South African duo Sarah Lotz and Louis Greenberg, who write under the pseudonym S.L. Grey. Yet despite the fact that this is a series, these books read basically as standalones, with the (excellent omg I’m so sad it’s all over) worldbuilding being the real tie between them all.
Let me paint you a picture. Below our human realm on the surface of the earth is an underground horror society of almost humans who regard everyone up top as a curious, amusing, entirely different species. The downsiders speak almost English, eat almost food, shop in almost stores.
Everything downside is human culture with a horror twist; the downside society is structured like a massive corporation, with a dual focus on production and resource conservation. Whether you’re a downsider or an unfortunate human who has somehow stumbled downside, you are a mere cog in the grinding horror megastructure. And as the horrific atrocities pile up one by one, understand that there is no ill intent meant toward the hapless upsiders. Yes, it’s unfortunate that you had to lose a few appendages… But this is simply just a part of doing business. 😉
The New Girl breaks a bit from the formula of the last two books. Here, most of the action takes place upside, but we are at last allowed a downsider POV, in addition to the other two upsider POVs. I was forever waiting for the next POV section starring Penter, Deputy Node Liaison for the Ministry of Upside Relations. All Penter wants is to do her job, but the more time she spends upside, the more nuggets of humanity she discovers within herself. Can a downsider learn what love is? You’ll need to read the book to find out.
For fans of dark humor, Silent Hill 3, or body horror, this series is a must, in particular the first book. The South African setting, too, adds another fascinating layer to the whole effect. In short, I can’t recommend this series highly enough, and I’m hoping S.L. Grey release something new soon, since it’s been a little while since their last book.
The New Girl is the third and final installment in the Downside series by South African duo Sarah Lotz and Louis Greenberg, who write under the pseudonym S.L. Grey. Yet despite the fact that this is a series, these books read basically as standalones, with the (excellent omg I’m so sad it’s all over) worldbuilding being the real tie between them all.
Let me paint you a picture. Below our human realm on the surface of the earth is an underground horror society of almost humans who regard everyone up top as a curious, amusing, entirely different species. The downsiders speak almost English, eat almost food, shop in almost stores.
She grabs her gelphone and hides under the blankets with it. She reads the proclamation ticker for comfort, to make herself feel closer to home. ‘Victuals are precious. The meat tree is a fable. Use your tokens appropriately.’ ‘Apparel does not auto-generate. Wash sparingly.’ ‘Energy is scarce and opulent. Save energy for essential tasks and services only.’ Everyone knows that resources are scarce, she finds herself commenting, you don’t have to repeat yourself. She tries to block out the disregardful thoughts.
Everything downside is human culture with a horror twist; the downside society is structured like a massive corporation, with a dual focus on production and resource conservation. Whether you’re a downsider or an unfortunate human who has somehow stumbled downside, you are a mere cog in the grinding horror megastructure. And as the horrific atrocities pile up one by one, understand that there is no ill intent meant toward the hapless upsiders. Yes, it’s unfortunate that you had to lose a few appendages… But this is simply just a part of doing business. 😉
The New Girl breaks a bit from the formula of the last two books. Here, most of the action takes place upside, but we are at last allowed a downsider POV, in addition to the other two upsider POVs. I was forever waiting for the next POV section starring Penter, Deputy Node Liaison for the Ministry of Upside Relations. All Penter wants is to do her job, but the more time she spends upside, the more nuggets of humanity she discovers within herself. Can a downsider learn what love is? You’ll need to read the book to find out.
For fans of dark humor, Silent Hill 3, or body horror, this series is a must, in particular the first book. The South African setting, too, adds another fascinating layer to the whole effect. In short, I can’t recommend this series highly enough, and I’m hoping S.L. Grey release something new soon, since it’s been a little while since their last book.
March 12, 2016
Ugh! This looks like the last book to the series. Noooooo.
I might take the unprecedented act of writing these authors and begging for more. I want hundreds of these books! If I had a vault of gold, I'd toss some of it at filmakers to put this vision to life. The marketing for these books I think must be terrible. The title of this book for starters is horrible. After The Mall and The Ward, this should rightly be The School. The cover is also atrocious (not in a good way). It is in fact almost embarrassing aesthetically to be seen reading this book and it doesn't help that my used copy has a huge and somewhat gross stain on it; both of which are totally ironic given the content of this book.
But hell with that, I couldn't put this book down and don't care how many saw me reading it --tons, I carried it around with me all day, much like Tara, the American teacher, carried around that gross fake burnt baby's head through much of the book.
Besides changing the name, getting much better and appropriate artwork for the cover, heck even illustrations or fontness a la Fforde does, could have spruced this amazing book up. I did appreciate that the Downsiders only use comic sans, but this could have been used even more than it was. I am also not sure that this would be a book to start first if you haven't read the others--The Mall and The Ward are slightly interchangeable in the order, but I'd still advise reading The Mall first, since its events take place first. As with the previous two, we get new "protagonists" for this book.
1) the aforementioned American teacher, fleeing the US because of a scandal where she accused 7 parents of sexually abusing their kids--parents were cleared, and she wound up in South Africa to hide out for a bit, began sleeping with married man, wound up marrying him, began obssessing over reborn babies. I did not know that "reborn babies" are a thing--google it, it's insane.
Basically hyperrealistic lifesized baby dolls.
She starts making them to sell, while putting up with his INCREDIBLY bratty 12 year old, barely noticing how her new husband's growing distance--perhaps the only "normal" person in the book, but is just as, if not more repugnant than the other characters. She also volunteers at the library at her stepson's fancy private school, where
2) Ryan, the drunken brooding pedophile, works as a handyman. Once he had a fancy office job and a wife and child, but then started molesting his daughter and now lives in a shanty in the bad side of town and has to walk to work (because of all the DUIs and no car). He's molesting the girl next door, trying to avoid the weird uptight principal who has it out for him, and eyeing the weird new girl with extreme interest.
3) The weird new kid, Jane, who is the other narrator's, Penter Ulliell's "kid", (named after a misspelled kind of catheter). She's not really her kid though and Penter is horrified to discover how people have children, when she sees a picture of a pregnant woman: "Can the stories be true? Parasitic pregrown halfpints pushign their way out of a gash in the Mother's body? The thought makes her bilious." Yes, that's right! We finally get a narration from the POV of a downsider.
In these books, the "downsiders" are a race of people I suppose, who live deep below us and whose children "halfpints" are grown in vats somehow. At some point they tunneled up, were shocked at the sky, disgusted at how we live and look, but embraced the idea of consumerism wholeheartedly, which changed the society and lemons are the ultimate luxury item. Penter's boss is so dedicated to his job, or so unwilling to be supplanted, he's had himself surgically grafted to his desk. She's a scout sent to procure halfpints to work in the unspeakable factories back downside.
The Penter parts were my favorite and like in the last books, there are so many hilarious parts to this. As gross as the downsiders are and the descriptions of Penter were wonderful as was pretty much everyone's reaction to her, it doesn't paint a very happy picture of our society and like in the last books everyone is basically selfish and shitty. The research Penter did in order to infiltrate the topside--DVDs of greatest Survivor Moments, Real Housewives, the Saw Movies, Pretty Woman--and her expectation (and total loathing for) women to be only discussing detergents while eating yogurt was amazing.
And the book wraps up nicely. I really loved that they encounter the woman and man from the first book too.
Anyways, tentacles crossed that they write more of these.
I might take the unprecedented act of writing these authors and begging for more. I want hundreds of these books! If I had a vault of gold, I'd toss some of it at filmakers to put this vision to life. The marketing for these books I think must be terrible. The title of this book for starters is horrible. After The Mall and The Ward, this should rightly be The School. The cover is also atrocious (not in a good way). It is in fact almost embarrassing aesthetically to be seen reading this book and it doesn't help that my used copy has a huge and somewhat gross stain on it; both of which are totally ironic given the content of this book.
But hell with that, I couldn't put this book down and don't care how many saw me reading it --tons, I carried it around with me all day, much like Tara, the American teacher, carried around that gross fake burnt baby's head through much of the book.
Besides changing the name, getting much better and appropriate artwork for the cover, heck even illustrations or fontness a la Fforde does, could have spruced this amazing book up. I did appreciate that the Downsiders only use comic sans, but this could have been used even more than it was. I am also not sure that this would be a book to start first if you haven't read the others--The Mall and The Ward are slightly interchangeable in the order, but I'd still advise reading The Mall first, since its events take place first. As with the previous two, we get new "protagonists" for this book.
1) the aforementioned American teacher, fleeing the US because of a scandal where she accused 7 parents of sexually abusing their kids--parents were cleared, and she wound up in South Africa to hide out for a bit, began sleeping with married man, wound up marrying him, began obssessing over reborn babies. I did not know that "reborn babies" are a thing--google it, it's insane.
Basically hyperrealistic lifesized baby dolls.
She starts making them to sell, while putting up with his INCREDIBLY bratty 12 year old, barely noticing how her new husband's growing distance--perhaps the only "normal" person in the book, but is just as, if not more repugnant than the other characters. She also volunteers at the library at her stepson's fancy private school, where
2) Ryan, the drunken brooding pedophile, works as a handyman. Once he had a fancy office job and a wife and child, but then started molesting his daughter and now lives in a shanty in the bad side of town and has to walk to work (because of all the DUIs and no car). He's molesting the girl next door, trying to avoid the weird uptight principal who has it out for him, and eyeing the weird new girl with extreme interest.
3) The weird new kid, Jane, who is the other narrator's, Penter Ulliell's "kid", (named after a misspelled kind of catheter). She's not really her kid though and Penter is horrified to discover how people have children, when she sees a picture of a pregnant woman: "Can the stories be true? Parasitic pregrown halfpints pushign their way out of a gash in the Mother's body? The thought makes her bilious." Yes, that's right! We finally get a narration from the POV of a downsider.
In these books, the "downsiders" are a race of people I suppose, who live deep below us and whose children "halfpints" are grown in vats somehow. At some point they tunneled up, were shocked at the sky, disgusted at how we live and look, but embraced the idea of consumerism wholeheartedly, which changed the society and lemons are the ultimate luxury item. Penter's boss is so dedicated to his job, or so unwilling to be supplanted, he's had himself surgically grafted to his desk. She's a scout sent to procure halfpints to work in the unspeakable factories back downside.
The Penter parts were my favorite and like in the last books, there are so many hilarious parts to this. As gross as the downsiders are and the descriptions of Penter were wonderful as was pretty much everyone's reaction to her, it doesn't paint a very happy picture of our society and like in the last books everyone is basically selfish and shitty. The research Penter did in order to infiltrate the topside--DVDs of greatest Survivor Moments, Real Housewives, the Saw Movies, Pretty Woman--and her expectation (and total loathing for) women to be only discussing detergents while eating yogurt was amazing.
And the book wraps up nicely. I really loved that they encounter the woman and man from the first book too.
Anyways, tentacles crossed that they write more of these.
November 21, 2013
For those unfamiliar with the series, the Downside is a terrifying world that exists parallel to ours where slavery, body modification and human recycling is the norm. In The New Girl, agents of the Downside start recruiting new residents from a Joburg school.
Two transient staff members become fascinated with the new girl – the oddball Jane, who draws them closer and closer to the horrible truth.
This hit series is set in contemporary South Africa and speaks not only to the horrors in the Downside, but those that exist in the real world. It’s frightening to imagine a sleeper cell agent operating
within a private school, but more terrifying is the idea that Ryan Denton, a predator in denial about his evil urges, comes into contact with children daily. It’s a horror concept that works on two levels,
resulting in double the chills.
Two transient staff members become fascinated with the new girl – the oddball Jane, who draws them closer and closer to the horrible truth.
This hit series is set in contemporary South Africa and speaks not only to the horrors in the Downside, but those that exist in the real world. It’s frightening to imagine a sleeper cell agent operating
within a private school, but more terrifying is the idea that Ryan Denton, a predator in denial about his evil urges, comes into contact with children daily. It’s a horror concept that works on two levels,
resulting in double the chills.
October 16, 2021
2.75/5
The final book was, unfortunately, the low point of the trilogy as it losses most of the odd horror of the previous book while failing to bring much new or interesting to the table.
The final book was, unfortunately, the low point of the trilogy as it losses most of the odd horror of the previous book while failing to bring much new or interesting to the table.
December 10, 2025
not sure I understand any of these books, but they're weird and I quite like how they make no sense and don't force romances/ happy endings.
I was giving it 3, but now I'm writing this I actually think a series that gets me to book 3 must actually be quite good, as I dislike series in general.
I was giving it 3, but now I'm writing this I actually think a series that gets me to book 3 must actually be quite good, as I dislike series in general.
June 2, 2015
The New Girl by S. L. Grey
Ryan Devlin, a predator with a past, has been forced to take a job as a handyman at an exclusive private school, Crossley College. He's losing his battle to suppress his growing fascination with a new girl who seems to have a strange effect on the children around her.
Tara Marais fills her empty days by volunteering at Crossley's library. Tara is desperate, but unable, to have a baby of her own, so she makes Reborns - eerily lifelike newborn dolls. She's delighted when she receives a commission from the mysterious 'Vader Batiss', but horrified when she sees the photograph of the baby she's been asked to create...
As the new girl's unusual influence continues to spread through the corridors of the school, both Tara and Ryan are being drawn into a terrifying scheme - one that will have an impact on every pupil at Crossley College.
I know little about South Africa. I know that it’s a dangerous place with a troubled past because of cultural clashes. I suspect it’s hot and dusty. All this comes from my own experiences with various media influenced by South Africa (whit brid, brun brid, diplomatic immunity, foohkin prawhns), so the world building in The New Girl helps establish not one, but two strange worlds inhabited by a wealth of weird and broken characters.
The brutal honesty in which the author(s) present the character of Ryan Devlin is refreshing. He’s a bad man, he’s done terrible things and he’s trying to change, (though getting a job at a school might not have been the wisest career choice) so he comes across as both hero and supposed villain at once. A fantastically realised and flawed protagonist who lives in fear of getting his comeuppance as his past comes back to haunt him, whilst the present comes crashing into his life, threatening to alter everything as he gets closer to the new girl of the title, the strange and enigmatic, Jane.
But the real charm in this story of child abuse, grief and a very strange girl, is the language. We are introduced to a host of strange characters related to Jane who have their own grasp on the English language. Comic and often chilling, this hijacking and re-meaning of words made this book for me. The introduction of a sub-culture that recycles the cultural detritus of society is genius in itself, and I would have been happier if this was explored in greater detail. In fact, if the entire story was dedicated to this sinister sub-species of humanity, I would be very primo in deed.
I thoroughly recommend The New Girl as it’s twists Lynch-like around a meaty subject matter without being falling to being visceral, despite the squeamish subject matter. My only gripe? Not enough about the karking Ministry of Upside Relations.
4/5
Ryan Devlin, a predator with a past, has been forced to take a job as a handyman at an exclusive private school, Crossley College. He's losing his battle to suppress his growing fascination with a new girl who seems to have a strange effect on the children around her.
Tara Marais fills her empty days by volunteering at Crossley's library. Tara is desperate, but unable, to have a baby of her own, so she makes Reborns - eerily lifelike newborn dolls. She's delighted when she receives a commission from the mysterious 'Vader Batiss', but horrified when she sees the photograph of the baby she's been asked to create...
As the new girl's unusual influence continues to spread through the corridors of the school, both Tara and Ryan are being drawn into a terrifying scheme - one that will have an impact on every pupil at Crossley College.
I know little about South Africa. I know that it’s a dangerous place with a troubled past because of cultural clashes. I suspect it’s hot and dusty. All this comes from my own experiences with various media influenced by South Africa (whit brid, brun brid, diplomatic immunity, foohkin prawhns), so the world building in The New Girl helps establish not one, but two strange worlds inhabited by a wealth of weird and broken characters.
The brutal honesty in which the author(s) present the character of Ryan Devlin is refreshing. He’s a bad man, he’s done terrible things and he’s trying to change, (though getting a job at a school might not have been the wisest career choice) so he comes across as both hero and supposed villain at once. A fantastically realised and flawed protagonist who lives in fear of getting his comeuppance as his past comes back to haunt him, whilst the present comes crashing into his life, threatening to alter everything as he gets closer to the new girl of the title, the strange and enigmatic, Jane.
But the real charm in this story of child abuse, grief and a very strange girl, is the language. We are introduced to a host of strange characters related to Jane who have their own grasp on the English language. Comic and often chilling, this hijacking and re-meaning of words made this book for me. The introduction of a sub-culture that recycles the cultural detritus of society is genius in itself, and I would have been happier if this was explored in greater detail. In fact, if the entire story was dedicated to this sinister sub-species of humanity, I would be very primo in deed.
I thoroughly recommend The New Girl as it’s twists Lynch-like around a meaty subject matter without being falling to being visceral, despite the squeamish subject matter. My only gripe? Not enough about the karking Ministry of Upside Relations.
4/5
April 23, 2014
The male narrator sounds like a South African which is fine if your target market is South Africans' unfortunately I think the voice will grate on international listeners.
I first saw this book in a book store. It looked awesome. So when I found it on audible I was delighted.I immediately bought it. Then I kept it as a special treat.
I should not have bothered. With professional editing, the removal of the first person voice in 99% of the story and the fractured sentences which this author adores, I think the book would do well. The plot is unique if a bit ...no not a bit very gruesome and depraved.
The editing is my major complaint. Using too much SA vernacular will put this book outside the grasp of international buyers and that is always the aim. Every author wants as many people as possible to read and enjoy their work. Somehow I doubt if this book in this form will get a wide readership.
WaAr
I first saw this book in a book store. It looked awesome. So when I found it on audible I was delighted.I immediately bought it. Then I kept it as a special treat.
I should not have bothered. With professional editing, the removal of the first person voice in 99% of the story and the fractured sentences which this author adores, I think the book would do well. The plot is unique if a bit ...no not a bit very gruesome and depraved.
The editing is my major complaint. Using too much SA vernacular will put this book outside the grasp of international buyers and that is always the aim. Every author wants as many people as possible to read and enjoy their work. Somehow I doubt if this book in this form will get a wide readership.
WaAr
September 22, 2014
Truth be told, I don’t find the SL Grey books all that scary. Unsettling, yes. Disturbing, definitely, but in all the right ways possible. But, they’re highly entertaining if you’re not too squeamish when it comes to dark fiction with a twist of body horror.
The Downside books are the mutated brainchild of two of SA’s established voices in horror – Sarah Lotz (author of the widely acclaimed The Three) and Louis Greenberg (who has recently seen the release of his novel Dark Windows).
What the two started in their first foray into collaborative writing, The Mall, they’ve carried through with The Ward, book two, and have now concluded in book three. And, while you needn’t read all the books in chronological order, you will possibly pick up more of the references to the other instalments if you do.
Where The Mall takes a left hook at our consumerist culture, and The Ward examines the horrors of our hospital system, The New Girl slashes at South Africa’s private schools. Once again, the inhabitants of the Downside allow us to view a dark distortion of our contemporary lifestyle through their lens.
The results are simultaneously hilarious and uncomfortable, and by the third book, the blend between Lotz and Greenberg’s writing is seamless.
We meet Tara, an American woman obsessed with Reborn dolls, which are toys that have been modified to make them seem like real babies. The other primary character is Ryan, who is difficult to like due to his being a sexual predator pretty much begging for the signature SL Grey “Downside” just deserts.
What makes The New Girl different from its predecessors is that inhabitants from Downside are also employed as viewpoint characters, which gives readers the opportunity to see a behind-the-scenes slice of life from the perspective of these somewhat macabre individuals. Jane and Penter are unpleasant, yet one can’t help but feel a strange affection for them and their predicaments as they make the best of their situation. Their attempts to understand our world result in numerous darkly humorous situations. This touch from the authors was unexpected, yet added much depth to the novel, which otherwise might have followed the expected dual-viewpoint template.
At this stage, I must add, that SL Grey is perhaps one of the few names to have had me laugh out loud while reading – and have my fellow passengers on the train shift to a seat further away from my evil cackling. Well done, to these master storytellers.
The Downside books are the mutated brainchild of two of SA’s established voices in horror – Sarah Lotz (author of the widely acclaimed The Three) and Louis Greenberg (who has recently seen the release of his novel Dark Windows).
What the two started in their first foray into collaborative writing, The Mall, they’ve carried through with The Ward, book two, and have now concluded in book three. And, while you needn’t read all the books in chronological order, you will possibly pick up more of the references to the other instalments if you do.
Where The Mall takes a left hook at our consumerist culture, and The Ward examines the horrors of our hospital system, The New Girl slashes at South Africa’s private schools. Once again, the inhabitants of the Downside allow us to view a dark distortion of our contemporary lifestyle through their lens.
The results are simultaneously hilarious and uncomfortable, and by the third book, the blend between Lotz and Greenberg’s writing is seamless.
We meet Tara, an American woman obsessed with Reborn dolls, which are toys that have been modified to make them seem like real babies. The other primary character is Ryan, who is difficult to like due to his being a sexual predator pretty much begging for the signature SL Grey “Downside” just deserts.
What makes The New Girl different from its predecessors is that inhabitants from Downside are also employed as viewpoint characters, which gives readers the opportunity to see a behind-the-scenes slice of life from the perspective of these somewhat macabre individuals. Jane and Penter are unpleasant, yet one can’t help but feel a strange affection for them and their predicaments as they make the best of their situation. Their attempts to understand our world result in numerous darkly humorous situations. This touch from the authors was unexpected, yet added much depth to the novel, which otherwise might have followed the expected dual-viewpoint template.
At this stage, I must add, that SL Grey is perhaps one of the few names to have had me laugh out loud while reading – and have my fellow passengers on the train shift to a seat further away from my evil cackling. Well done, to these master storytellers.
November 14, 2016
Primo! Catalogue even!
I agree with what several other reviewers have said about this one -
1. The cover is abysmal
2. It should have been called 'The School'
Aside from those little grievances, another wonderful book in the series. Sadly, I think this will be the last one. But I'm always hopeful! Give the fans what they want! Write another, please!
I loved every second.
I agree with what several other reviewers have said about this one -
1. The cover is abysmal
2. It should have been called 'The School'
Aside from those little grievances, another wonderful book in the series. Sadly, I think this will be the last one. But I'm always hopeful! Give the fans what they want! Write another, please!
I loved every second.
Read
December 8, 2013Favourite line:
'If the advertisements are a true reflection of society in the node, female browns always eat yogurt together.'
'If the advertisements are a true reflection of society in the node, female browns always eat yogurt together.'
June 21, 2019
These books are just freaking bizarre. They arent bad, but they arent good. Yet here I am, wondering if there will be a 4th.
September 8, 2023
Just.. what on Earth? Awful awful book. Gave no answers as to what was happening, nothing explained at all.
October 24, 2021
This book was veeery confusing for quite some time. The mixing of the downside and 'browns' was confusing to understand, whether they were taking over or who were they or what was happening. As time went on, it became apparent which characters were which and on what side.
I did enjoy how the trilogy brought all the books together, but again, just too much crazy stuff happening for the 'normal people' not to understand that something's awry. Including the whole character change of the stepson who changed overnight to a completely different person.
Still a fairly good horror story, quite a different view to many others I've read before.
I did enjoy how the trilogy brought all the books together, but again, just too much crazy stuff happening for the 'normal people' not to understand that something's awry. Including the whole character change of the stepson who changed overnight to a completely different person.
Still a fairly good horror story, quite a different view to many others I've read before.
September 10, 2019
Most disturbing of their downside books I've read so far.
If you've read the Mall or the Ward, you'll be familiar with the strange underworld of body modification and twisted values these two have created. This is set in the same world, but with the downsiders coming upside. The people they fall with are relentlessly awful.
Haven't read too many books this twisted and dark, and it's all the better for. It.
If you've read the Mall or the Ward, you'll be familiar with the strange underworld of body modification and twisted values these two have created. This is set in the same world, but with the downsiders coming upside. The people they fall with are relentlessly awful.
Haven't read too many books this twisted and dark, and it's all the better for. It.
September 17, 2022
Really confused as to the feelings this book made me feel. At first it was really hard to get into reading it but once I started I wasn’t able to put the book down.
At times this book made me really question and relate it to the real world and that was unsettling. The other half of the time was spent with the constant thought of “why the fuck am I still reading this.” So.. was it good? Yeah I guess. It didn’t leave me with a sense of awe like other books but I’m glad I finished it.
At times this book made me really question and relate it to the real world and that was unsettling. The other half of the time was spent with the constant thought of “why the fuck am I still reading this.” So.. was it good? Yeah I guess. It didn’t leave me with a sense of awe like other books but I’m glad I finished it.
October 12, 2024
*3.5/5*
As always, disturbing.
The faces I pull whilst reading this series…. It’s just so messed up and weird and so gross.
Yet I’ve loved every book!
Really appreciated how this felt like a proper wrap up of the trilogy as we revisited the mall and the ward. That was a great detail that I thought finished everything off perfectly.
As always, disturbing.
The faces I pull whilst reading this series…. It’s just so messed up and weird and so gross.
Yet I’ve loved every book!
Really appreciated how this felt like a proper wrap up of the trilogy as we revisited the mall and the ward. That was a great detail that I thought finished everything off perfectly.
September 22, 2018
On one hand, it was nice to find out a bit more about downside and even see some parts through eyes of a downsider. On the other hand closer introduction to inhabitants of the other world made the horror and craziness of Downside less terrifying.
December 21, 2024
The third downside novel continues to explore the wonderfully weird and grotesque world established in the earlier books, this time with more of the events taking place upside. These books are not so much horror novels, as unsettling satires, and I have enjoyed each one on its own terms.
August 20, 2017
Primo! I will have to go back and read the other books in this trilogy, did not realise this was part of a series. An ingenious, well thought out storyline which will have you riveted.
May 29, 2018
I was not rapped in the first book in this series but it has grown on me. I am a bit sorry to finish it now. Well worth a look, more than a little original.
June 27, 2018
A brilliant book that keeps you guessing! Sheer horror!
October 9, 2018
If nothing else it was just so weird and twisted it justifies four stars from that alone. A great and timely Halloween read!
March 21, 2022
This was not what I expected from the blurb. An interesting and unique story nonetheless.
April 27, 2024
Well. I'll be having nightmares for a while lol
January 2, 2026
I would love to see a film on this book series. It would be so interesting to visualize the downside & to learn more about it - I still have so many questions.
July 11, 2022
The mall and the ward are amazing but the newgirl didn't fulfill the expectations.The mixing of brown and downside was confusing. This is not what I expected.
Book:The new girl
Author: S.L.GREY
2/5 🌟
Book:The new girl
Author: S.L.GREY
2/5 🌟
November 26, 2013
I’ve read some pretty creepy books in my time, but The New Girl by S.L. Grey is in a whole different category when it comes to horror. Hell, it takes a very special blend of crazy to come up with such a riveting, suspenseful and exceptionally creepy plot, in my opinion, but I am definitely not complaining. The New Girl is a nail-biting book that revolves around a rather odd-looking new student that attends Crossley College. She looks like an outreach student, one that is simply there to fill the quota of the private school, but what Tara – an American teacher with a past and a weird obsession with reborn dolls – soon comes to realise is that nothing is quite as it seems. Of course, Tara wasn’t the only one who noticed the girl, Ryan – a predator – has also seen the new girl walking around like she doesn’t belong and he’s taken quite a liking to her. Unfortunately for him, she’s much more dangerous than she looks and in the end he’ll soon fall victim to something other than “urges”.
The New Girl is based in South Africa and has a real otherworldly flair to it that is not only unique but truly a breath of fresh air. Sure, we have our “American moments” with the slang and such, but that’s simply Upside speak. The real trouble’s far below the surface where the rules don’t necessarily apply – especially when it comes to grammar.
The New Girl is the third book in this series. With its predecessors, The Mall and The Ward, both critically acclaimed works, it’s logical to read them first, however it’s not vital. Nevertheless, the moment that you’ve finished reading this spectacularly crafted novel, you’re going to want to read the rest of S.L. Grey’s works.
I loved this book. I loved the fact that I blurted out in the middle of the night: “Jesus, this shit’s whack!” while the shadows danced and the darkness tried to push through the artificial light. I loved how S.L. Grey was able to mix together a fictitious fear alongside a very real threat, while keeping in mind the South African lingo (Parktown prawns anyone?). In other words, The New Girl was absolutely PRIMO! Everyone who loves horror should get their hands on it, and those who are in the mood for something a bit different is in for a huge, albeit creepy, surprise…
(review originally posted on www.killeraphrodite.com)
The New Girl is based in South Africa and has a real otherworldly flair to it that is not only unique but truly a breath of fresh air. Sure, we have our “American moments” with the slang and such, but that’s simply Upside speak. The real trouble’s far below the surface where the rules don’t necessarily apply – especially when it comes to grammar.
The New Girl is the third book in this series. With its predecessors, The Mall and The Ward, both critically acclaimed works, it’s logical to read them first, however it’s not vital. Nevertheless, the moment that you’ve finished reading this spectacularly crafted novel, you’re going to want to read the rest of S.L. Grey’s works.
I loved this book. I loved the fact that I blurted out in the middle of the night: “Jesus, this shit’s whack!” while the shadows danced and the darkness tried to push through the artificial light. I loved how S.L. Grey was able to mix together a fictitious fear alongside a very real threat, while keeping in mind the South African lingo (Parktown prawns anyone?). In other words, The New Girl was absolutely PRIMO! Everyone who loves horror should get their hands on it, and those who are in the mood for something a bit different is in for a huge, albeit creepy, surprise…
(review originally posted on www.killeraphrodite.com)
April 18, 2016
This was my first foray into the Downside Series by "S. L. Grey", but it won't be my last. The novel was so different, so strangely compelling, that I literally couldn't put it down. I'm not going to inject spoilers into this review, but suffice it to say that the reader is never really certain who the protagonists are and who are supposed to be the "bad guys" here. The idea of a parallel world coexisting with ours, but with diametrically opposite values of life, beauty, and individualism is intriguing enough by itself, but consider that contact is possible through "nodes", and that what is termed a "harvesting" is clandestinely occurring, and you have a good recipe for speculative fiction. I'm looking forward to reading the first two Downside novels to better understand the concept the authors are presenting.
March 23, 2015
I read the Downside-Trilogy and I prefer "The Mall" over the other two.
"The new girl" was an interesting read, too, mainly because you get an insight in the thoughts of an downsider, but there wasn't enough action for me. In "The Mall" you had the whole trip to the downside, in "The Ward" there were the attempts to flee and then the disturbing part with the two protagonists, when they resurfaced, but in "The New Girl"there was no real suspense and no real climax.
It's kind of entertaining, especially because of the references to the two other books, but that was about it for me.
"The new girl" was an interesting read, too, mainly because you get an insight in the thoughts of an downsider, but there wasn't enough action for me. In "The Mall" you had the whole trip to the downside, in "The Ward" there were the attempts to flee and then the disturbing part with the two protagonists, when they resurfaced, but in "The New Girl"there was no real suspense and no real climax.
It's kind of entertaining, especially because of the references to the two other books, but that was about it for me.
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