The Gathering Dark

Plot Summary

   An anthology of stories that all contain the theme of teens and horror. 

1. Stay by Erica Waters
  Melissa takes care of her grandmother who has delusions of worms under her skin. She scratches her skin till she bleeds, gets rid of her dog, and spends hours staring at her arms. Her cousin Daniel is no help as he spends all day stoned and does not even feed his horse in the field. Her only escape from keeping up the homestead and taking care of her family is her job at a garden center the next town over but that might not be enough to keep her safe from an impending danger. 

2. The Tallest Poppy by Chloe Gong
Penelope Gao, Poppy, has always heard rumors about the cursed house on the hill. The original owners fled with sickness and now Mr. and Mrs. Williams have moved in with their children. In search of a nanny Poppy answers the ad but only intends to work during the childrens summer vacation to save for a plane ticket out of Australia to a college overseas where a full ride scholarship awaits her. The house is keen to show her how true the rumors are. 

3. Loved by All, Save One by Tori Bovalino 
In rural Darlington, Pennsylvania Lee and Jace are keeping their childhood friend Jenny company while her parents are out of town. The old house is spooky and the setting of an urban legend where Barbara Davidson was murdered in the 1800s by homestead intruders. As children, they hunted for a hint of Barbara but as teens, they hunt for any booze forgotten by their parents. Home alone, the tragedy of Barbara seems to be doomed to repeat itself but maybe they have a secret defense she did not.

4. One Lane Bridge by Hannah Whitten
Chase, Jules, Simon, and Lanie have been friends since preschool but their friendship has soured. Simon is cheating on Jules and the foursome goes through periods of no contact, refusing to completely break off the friendship because of the comfort of something familiar. Drunk and bored the group decides to kill time by going to the local spooky bridge. Jules is harboring a secret anger towards Simon and uses the occasion to vent her rage. What they do on the bridge will change their friendship and futures. 

5. Ghost of the Shore by Allison Saft
Maud just lost her best friend June in a freak drowning accident. Lake Iris, where she drowned, is know for holding onto the souls of everyone who dies there. And if you show up at 2am your loved one will come to get a ride home. In desperation, Maud shows up to get June and tries to get back to normalcy. June is not the same and Maud wonders if burning every bridge and chasing a ghost is leading her to a dangerous end. 

6. Petrified by Olivia Chadha
The community calling themselves "Children of the Aspen" live in a small mountain town in Colorado guarding the petrified forest on their land. Will, Jocelyn, and Dhara share a closeness from being raised in the community and stick together protectively in high school. Jackson Tillman is new to town and happy to accept help from the three local teens when his car breaks down. His dad has plans to develop the town into a resort and Jackson himself has take advantage of local resources. A reclusive community and a wealthy settler meet in a cabin in the woods. 

7. Third Burn by Courtney Gould
In the rural community of Amberville, Oregon Charlene Skaggit is stung by the slow breakdown of her friendship with Becca. They were peas in a pod until Charlene tried to burn down the Amberville church that Becca's family and most of the town attend. After being sent away for five months of community service Charlie returns to a town that is scared of her. Even Becca, who never judged Charlie's poverty stricken homelife, keeps a safe distance away. With an alcoholic mom and a crumbling friendship, Charlie finds that the town has a history of unfairly judging women, and a history of fires. 

8. It Stays with You by Aden Polydoros
Marlow, Quinn, Gabe, and Sarah spend their last summer together before college. Quinn and Sarah are going to college, Gabe is dying of cancer, and Marlow is being eaten up with depression and suicidal ideation. Quinn dares everyone to go as a group to the bathroom mirror and play Bloody Mary. They unknowingly summon a creature that mirrors trauma from their lives and comes closer every day. Will they survive?

9. Truth or Dare by Alex Brown
The author has a name but today Dillon will call her Sienna. Sienna loves Dillon but he will not love her back. Instead he hints at a future where he could love her to keep her willing to meet in the shadows and use fake names. He lacks love but loves control and before he leaves for college he asks her to wait for him. The mystical town tunnels appear, she has a choice to make and the tunnels can help her. As the two explore the tunnels a game of truth or dare unwinds and Sienna must decide if she wants to keep loving Dillon. 

10. The Burning One by Shakira Toussaint
High in the island's only mountain the author stays with her mama to stay safe from the monster below. Sometimes her mama goes to hunt, leaving her alone. When she sees a ship wreck she becomes curious about the settlers but her mama warns her to stay high and stay safe. After she saves a boy and gets to know him she starts to learn what his kind have done and why she was forced up the mountain as a child. This is the only story in the anthology that is set in the distant past. 

Critical Evaluation

The first thing that hit me about this novel was the beautiful cover art. While it might seem superficial I know a lot of readers will be drawn in by this art which works in clues to multiple stories. Most of the stories were centered around teens in rural and desolate locations and included legends that the characters were aware of or began to know as the story continued. This is where the folklore genre was apparent. The teens were in a period of transition into adulthood or independence, and many of them were close to leaving their hometowns. Part of the tragedy for these teens was being so close to freedom when a supernatural element enters the story to keep them from leaving or surviving. Nature is an omnipresent monster alongside ghosts, and demons. 

Every story in this collection was strong on its own. Only the last story, The Burning One by Shakira Toussaint, seemed out of place as a historical narrative rather than a contemporary short story. In trying to understand the ending of the second story,  The Tallest Poppy by Chloe Gong, I found out that "cutting down the tallest poppy" is an Australian phrase that means to take someone down a notch who thinks too much of themselves ("Tall Poppy Syndrome," 2025). In this story, the protagonist Poppy wants to leave her hometown, and this is perceived by others in the town as her thinking too much of herself to not be satisfied with her home. That is a new lens from which to view the story that I was unaware of until researching the ending. I wonder what other subtext I missed in these clever stories.  

  I was surprised to see that this novel received no award or honors. Every tale was chilling, with vivid details and strong characters. As a young adult, I would have connected to those characters who lost friendships or realized that the friendship had ended and they were just hanging onto what was familiar. Other than the age of the protagonists I see no reason why this novel would not also be at home in an adult collection. The complexity of the characters and anticipation built in each turn has wide appeal to a large audience. 

Creative Use for a Library Program

  Teen Advisory Group Haunted Library: The teen advisory board can plan and put on a haunted library tour to complement a neighborhood event or as a standalone program. If younger children are invited to enjoy the activity avoid anything too scary or have appropriate warnings before entering. The house could be tied to local legends similar to the narratives found in The Gathering Dark and/or use motifs from the novel (Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, 2021). 

Book Talk

The great escape is the dream of many teens yearning to leave their sleepy suburbs or desolate countryside. Not every teen in these stories will find a happy ending but every teen will have an end. Join this collective coming of age as protagonists fight expectations, abuse, ghosts, monsters, and inner demons. Every author has a spine-chilling tale to share. 

Reason for Inclusion

This collection of stories is fantastical throughout but deeply rooted in realistic portrayals of teen issues. Dying friendships, toxic relationships, abusive parents, suicidal ideation, terminal illness, and assault are just a few issues brought up in different narratives. In The Gathering Dark, each author writes to a teen audience with their choice of protagonists but with a level of complexity that would make it a good cross-over book for adult readers. In my experience, this is the first YA book I have read that I could imagine recommending to adult readers who usually do not delve into young adult literature. It respects the older young adult reader and acts as a bridge into the adult fiction category. 

Potential Challenges and  Defense Preparation

  The Gathering Dark does not have a history of censorship but it does contain mature themes and is recommended for older teens. The best defense of any library is a strong reconsideration policy.