#17 - The Dark Beneath the Ice by Amelinda Bérubé

  Just The Basics

    Published: August 7, 2018

    Genre: Paranormal Fiction 

    Pages: 336 pages

    Acknowledgements:  For the first time, none that I can find. 

        "If this is over, really over, do I need them? Can I leave them behind, walk away from them? I'm walking on water, aren't I? But it was fear, that moth-wing panic, that brought me there. That's what I was trying to escape."

    "The Dark Beneath the Ice" is a paranormal, coming-of-age novel by Amelinda Bérubé. The story centers around Marianne's unraveling. Her parents' divorce, her abandoning of ballet, and her questioning sexuality spiral her into a haunting by a mysterious vision of her worst nightmares. Her nightmares are all about water, darkness, and ice lurking below her fragile self-image and wavering confidence. In a new school, Marianne meets Ron (Ronette is her full name), whose psychic mother eventually allows Marianne to face herself, the ghost haunting her, and how she cannot solve anything by continuing to run away. What might at first seem like a purely paranormal haunting eventually morphs into a story about parenting, finding oneself, and accepting who you are as Marianne and Ron untangle the mysterious darkness around them. 

    Why "The Dark Beneath the Ice"?

    I found this book on a YALSA list of the most popular YA titles in the last few years. I threw this work on my list at the very last second, craving some paranormal literature after so many realistic novels in the past year. However, I quickly understood that "The Dark Beneath the Ice" was going to be a difficult read. Not because this book is too haunting or too disturbing, but because it is so mediocre. I personally love media in the horror genre, but I had to push myself to get through Bérubé's very tepid story. I wanted what one always gets from good spooky lit: atmosphere, striking imagery, and some of the beloved genre tropes that make works in this genre so memorable. What I got was a pulpy, average, and not very compelling read. I'm not even sure the young adults I teach would like this novel."The Dark Beneath the Ice" was a bit too basic, underwhelming, and lukewarm, offering very little atmosphere or compelling pacing. Unfortunately, the question here changes from why "The Dark Beneath the Ice"  to why not "The Dark Beneath the Ice". 

    Teaching Considerations

     I'm struggling to find where this book would fit into my classroom. With other YA works, I have found the issue is sometimes that a story isn't for me, yet still can be worked into a positive light with some creative pedagogy. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure if a high or middle school student found Bérubé's work on some spooky October, they might enjoy this story. Especially if this reader is a young queer girl, I can see Marianne and Ron's story keeping them interested. From a teaching perspective, I don't think this book would even be a good fit for choice reading or book clubs. This book offers very little in terms of substance for analysis. The pacing (which is my biggest gripe), the dialogue, all lack subtext and deeper meaning. The paranormal aspects are often rushed, too frequent, and not impactful in the way stories like this need to be. There is a minor trigger warning of some peril and violence, but I've seen worse in animated Disney movies. Not only is this book not for me, but it's not for my classroom either. Nothing wrong with this book as a story concept-- as I think the externalization of emotional problems of young queer kids makes for good horror (watch I Saw The TV Glow if you want to see what I mean), but I just think this novel does the horrors of life as a closeted lesbian girl a disservice. 

      Sections to Read Aloud  & Reasoning

1. Chapter 16

• "I'm ice on the water. Cracking. Every word hits me like a stone. That's what Ingrid heard coming out of my mouth?" (Ebook page 377)

    Some of the context for Marianne's personality crisis comes from the rejection of her old best friend, Ingrid, with whom Marianne was in love, but who eventually rejects her. The metaphor of water, ice, and darkness is the main externalization of these emotional struggles. While the metaphor is repetitive throughout this work, if an educator chose to use this text in class, the metaphorical connections between Marianne and water are worth exploring. 

        2. Chapter 12

• '''But you're the one who brought me here.' Anguish creeps into the other voice, the kindling of anger. 'I was trying to find the way for so long. And you called me. I heard you!' 'There's something you want. Isn't there?' Ron insists. 'Tell me what it is!' 'I want... what is mine.'" (Ebook pages 287-288)

    The specter that haunts Marianne's refrain is "I want what is mine". The ghost clearly reflects many aspects of Marianne, with its own ghastly fixation on Ron (bet you can guess the payoff here). Moments like the one above are both the paranormal moments that punctuate the novel but also reveal a lot of Marianne's internalized fears about her queerness. Moments with the ghost could be looked at by students in how they both move the plot along with some excitement, and how they reveal who Marianne is deep down. 

    Overall Thoughts

        I truly didn't like "The Dark Beneath the Ice". With these reviews, I am usually able to find a place for every book. So far, this has been the only work of the sixteen I have read that I feel is not only not for me, but is arguably poorly written. Nothing was thrilling or exciting in this work. The paranormal moments were so frequent and so plain that they almost became a drag. To thrill a reader, to haunt a reader, to scare a reader, there needs to be much more atmosphere, more compelling pacing, more of hiding important elements of the plot until a key moment, and Bérubé did not pull through for me here. If a student is a horror junky, they might find more enjoyment here than I did. However, I disliked how this novel is more constructed than any YA book I have read so far. 

    Future Explorations

     There was to be some stellar paranormal YA lit out there! While I did not find what I wanted here, I'm sure there is a wealth of queer-oriented thriller/horror works out there that offer what I am looking for when I pick something up in this genre.  I hope that Bérubé has a successful career, but I do not think I will be looking for any other work by this author.