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The Devil Latch
He draws her close, envelops her as if with wings. She does not resist him or the kisses over her face when he tilts her chin up, she lets him, exposing the flesh of her throat. When she goes home that day she will wear the marks of the devil, the clinging smell of oil, the bruising of her neck.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
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62 people want to read
About the author
Sonya Hartnett
42 books311 followersSonya Hartnett (also works under the pseudonym Cameron S. Redfern) is, or was, something of an Australian child prodigy author. She wrote her first novel at the age of thirteen, and had it published at fifteen. Her books have also been published in Europe and North America. Her novels have been published traditionally as young adult fiction, but her writing often crosses the divide and is also enjoyed by adults.
"I chose to narrate the story through a child because people like children, they WANT to like them," says Sonya Hartnett of THURSDAY'S CHILD, her brilliantly original coming-of-age story set during the Great Depression. "Harper [the young narrator] is the reason you get sucked into the characters. Even I, who like to distance myself from my characters, felt protective of her."
The acclaimed author of several award-winning young adult novels--the first written when she was just 13--Australian native Sonya Hartnett says she wrote THURSDAY'S CHILD in a mere three months. "It just pulled itself together," she says. "I'd wanted to set a story in the Depression for some time, in an isolated community that was strongly supportive. Once the dual ideas of the boy who tunneled and the young girl as narrator gelled, it almost wrote itself--I had the cast, I had the setting, I just said 'go.' " Accustomed to writing about edgy young adult characters, Sonya Hartnett says that identifying with a seven-year-old protagonist was a challenge at first. "I found her difficult to approach," she admits. "I'm not really used to children. But once I started, I found you could have fun with her: she could tell lies, she could deny the truth." Whereas most children know "only what adults want them to know," the author discovered she could bypass that limitation by "turning Harper into an eavesdropper and giving her older siblings to reveal realities."
In her second book with Candlewick Press, WHAT THE BIRDS SEE, Sonya Hartnett once again creates a portrait of childhood. This time the subject is Adrian, a nine-year-old boy living in the suburbs with his gran and Uncle. For Adrian, childhood is shaped by fear: his dread of quicksand, shopping centers, and self-combustion. Then one day, three neighborhood children vanish--an incident based on a real case in Australia in the 1960s--and Adrian comes to see just how tenuous his safety net is. In speaking about Adrian, the author provocatively reveals parallels between herself and her character. She says, "Adrian is me in many respects, and many of the things that happen to him happened to me."
Sonya Hartnett's consistently inspired writing has built her a legion of devotees. Of THURSDAY'S CHILD, Newbery Honor-winning author Carolyn Coman says, "Hartnett's beautifully rendered vision drew me in from the very start and carried me along, above and under ground, to the very end. This book amazed me." The achingly beautiful WHAT THE BIRDS SEE has just as quickly garnered critical acclaim. Notes PUBLISHERS WEEKLY in a starred review, "Hartnett again captures the ineffable fragility of childhood in this keenly observed tale. . . . Sophisticated readers will appreciate the work's acuity and poetic integrity." Sonya Hartnett's third young adult novel, STRIPES OF THE SIDESTEP WOLF was named an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults.
Sonya Hartnett lives near Melbourne, Australia. Her most recent novels are SURRENDER, a mesmerizing psychological thriller, and THE SILVER DONKEY, a gently told fable for middle-grade readers.
"I chose to narrate the story through a child because people like children, they WANT to like them," says Sonya Hartnett of THURSDAY'S CHILD, her brilliantly original coming-of-age story set during the Great Depression. "Harper [the young narrator] is the reason you get sucked into the characters. Even I, who like to distance myself from my characters, felt protective of her."
The acclaimed author of several award-winning young adult novels--the first written when she was just 13--Australian native Sonya Hartnett says she wrote THURSDAY'S CHILD in a mere three months. "It just pulled itself together," she says. "I'd wanted to set a story in the Depression for some time, in an isolated community that was strongly supportive. Once the dual ideas of the boy who tunneled and the young girl as narrator gelled, it almost wrote itself--I had the cast, I had the setting, I just said 'go.' " Accustomed to writing about edgy young adult characters, Sonya Hartnett says that identifying with a seven-year-old protagonist was a challenge at first. "I found her difficult to approach," she admits. "I'm not really used to children. But once I started, I found you could have fun with her: she could tell lies, she could deny the truth." Whereas most children know "only what adults want them to know," the author discovered she could bypass that limitation by "turning Harper into an eavesdropper and giving her older siblings to reveal realities."
In her second book with Candlewick Press, WHAT THE BIRDS SEE, Sonya Hartnett once again creates a portrait of childhood. This time the subject is Adrian, a nine-year-old boy living in the suburbs with his gran and Uncle. For Adrian, childhood is shaped by fear: his dread of quicksand, shopping centers, and self-combustion. Then one day, three neighborhood children vanish--an incident based on a real case in Australia in the 1960s--and Adrian comes to see just how tenuous his safety net is. In speaking about Adrian, the author provocatively reveals parallels between herself and her character. She says, "Adrian is me in many respects, and many of the things that happen to him happened to me."
Sonya Hartnett's consistently inspired writing has built her a legion of devotees. Of THURSDAY'S CHILD, Newbery Honor-winning author Carolyn Coman says, "Hartnett's beautifully rendered vision drew me in from the very start and carried me along, above and under ground, to the very end. This book amazed me." The achingly beautiful WHAT THE BIRDS SEE has just as quickly garnered critical acclaim. Notes PUBLISHERS WEEKLY in a starred review, "Hartnett again captures the ineffable fragility of childhood in this keenly observed tale. . . . Sophisticated readers will appreciate the work's acuity and poetic integrity." Sonya Hartnett's third young adult novel, STRIPES OF THE SIDESTEP WOLF was named an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults.
Sonya Hartnett lives near Melbourne, Australia. Her most recent novels are SURRENDER, a mesmerizing psychological thriller, and THE SILVER DONKEY, a gently told fable for middle-grade readers.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 1, 2018
Vet inte riktigt vad jag väntade mig, men det var nog inte ens i närheten av vad jag fick. En tunn bok som trots fint flyt i texten ändå får mig att sakta ner läsningen, då jag får så mycket att grubbla över. Var och varannan mening känns betydelsebärande och jag letar ledtrådar. Katastrofen lurar i skuggorna...
January 2, 2016
Kitten Latch knows that he is special, that he has an unusual mission: to exterminate the evil that is his grandfather, and become the new Devil Latch himself. Kitten knows this because the twin devils have come to him and told him, have advised him of what the Natural Parents want from him. All of this stands to be derailed, though, when Kitten meets Amy, the new neighbor who has moved in next door, and the story takes a slightly more gothic-romance turn.
It's here where the book falls into a slight identity crisis: the gothic horror-romance drops hints at turning into a vampire story, but then drops that thread as if it never existed. This is frequently listed as "fantasy" or "supernatural," but I think it's a more straight-up story of mental instability--after all, when a crazy person says they're hearing demons, do we believe they have honest-to-goodness demons living in their skulls? The elements of horror, romance, and painful, bitter family histories muddle together, and while they mostly emerge unscathed, it's not entirely flawless.
I'm erring on the side of generosity in my rating, because I suspect I'd have liked this a lot more as a physical book rather than an audio recording. Unfortunately, the paper book was not available in either the library system I work in or live in, so I settled for the audio, against my better judgment. Hartnett's writing is a little too complex to not be on the page, and it's harder (for me) to keep track of details when I'm not seeing the words.
I was feeling pretty cranky about most of Hartnett's work not having been published in the US, but the more of it I'm tracking down, the more convinced I become that publishers have made the right choice. I do think I'll be re-reading Thursday's Child, though, to remind myself why I fell in love with her books in the first place.
It's here where the book falls into a slight identity crisis: the gothic horror-romance drops hints at turning into a vampire story, but then drops that thread as if it never existed. This is frequently listed as "fantasy" or "supernatural," but I think it's a more straight-up story of mental instability--after all, when a crazy person says they're hearing demons, do we believe they have honest-to-goodness demons living in their skulls? The elements of horror, romance, and painful, bitter family histories muddle together, and while they mostly emerge unscathed, it's not entirely flawless.
I'm erring on the side of generosity in my rating, because I suspect I'd have liked this a lot more as a physical book rather than an audio recording. Unfortunately, the paper book was not available in either the library system I work in or live in, so I settled for the audio, against my better judgment. Hartnett's writing is a little too complex to not be on the page, and it's harder (for me) to keep track of details when I'm not seeing the words.
I was feeling pretty cranky about most of Hartnett's work not having been published in the US, but the more of it I'm tracking down, the more convinced I become that publishers have made the right choice. I do think I'll be re-reading Thursday's Child, though, to remind myself why I fell in love with her books in the first place.
May 7, 2013
I'm glad I've finally discovered this writer. Sonya Hartnett has an exquisite narrative style. This story was at times dark, revealing and uncomfortable, but also vulnerable and whimsical. I wasn't sure if it was fantasy at first, but came to realise one of the characters was dealing with schizophrenia and it is portrayed perfectly. I lost track of one character (Curtis) and felt they were treated fairly by the other characters. I also would have preferred not so much changing of POV. I did like the resolution a lot. It tied up very nicely. I will be reading more from Sonya Hartnett!
December 3, 2017
A great read, intriguing and unsettling, with a fabulous ending ....
June 17, 2018
Really interesting ideas, flows and so well read (and written).
December 18, 2014
I can't remember much about the book - read it originally years ago, but I do remember how much I loved it.
This was the first and only book by Sonya Hartnett that I have read. I think I'll pick up some more of her books.
Definitely one to be re-read at a later time.
This was the first and only book by Sonya Hartnett that I have read. I think I'll pick up some more of her books.
Definitely one to be re-read at a later time.
December 12, 2013
It was a strange book with good characters, I enjoyed it as she is a great author :)
May 12, 2016
Well... That was strange. Excellent writing, making it a very well told strange story.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews