A little Fright for the winter Night
[ It's Behind You by Kathryn Foxfield ]
When I first began reading “It’s Behind You”, I felt as if things moved slowly, especially since I wasn’t a big fan of the main character. Lex was flippant in ways that almost annoyed me, and of course, I did not know much about her. And as we humans like to assume the worst of others sometimes, I did the same. Like everybody else that she came across, I judged her to be cocky, mean and careless just like others did.
That did make reading this book more of a chore, even making me put it down for a bit. But this year, I figured I didn’t want to give up on it – the premise was curious and the characters were full of different layers. Full of flaws, too, which was refreshing. And it made it all feel more real.
They may have tried to make themselves look brave, successful, or unique, but in the setup of a spooky TV show where you get locked up in an old cave, well, nobody can keep acting forever. Not even the best actress.
"Oh. My. Giddy. Aunt. This is the best-worst thing I have ever seen."
Things certainly did intrigue me more when Lex began to show more of her true self, alongside other characters that were breaking out of their ‘roles’. After all, the danger and uncertainty made it seem like playing along or recording their flawless performances was not the most important thing. For the most part at least.
“It’s Behind You” could be slightly better paced at the beginning but it is still a great read, and even if it feels unlikely at the very beginning – trust me, there will be moments in this story that will make you feel goosebumps on your skin. However, what I enjoyed the most about this story were the characters – changing, evolving, and learning at all points. It made me wish I had more time to spend with them, to see what happened to them after this story.