Charm and Strange by Stephanie Kuehn

Charm and Strange

by Stephanie Kuehn

A deftly woven and unnerving psychological thriller from debut author Stephanie Kuehn. 'Don't. Please don't say my name. You have no idea who I really am.' No one really knows who Andrew Winston Winters is. Least of all himself. He is part Win, a lonely teenager exiled to a remote boarding school in the wake of a family tragedy. The guy who shuts the whole world out, no matter the cost, because his darkest fear is of himself ...of the wolfish predator within. But he's also part Drew, the angry boy with violent impulses that control him. The boy who, one fateful summer, was part of something so terrible it came close to destroying him. Fans of Meg Rosoff, Kevin Brooks or Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk About Kevin will be gripped by this story, but it is unlike anything you have ever read before. The pace, tension and raw emotion within this books for teens is almost palpable. Charm and Strange is a book that will stay with you long after you have turned the final page.

Reviewed by layawaydragon on

5 of 5 stars

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TW: Abuse, Suicide. It's not graphically detailed. It's wrapped in mystery the whole way through as Win/Drew tries to cope and live. As a survivor, that reveal wasn't completely surprising. I was worried about it for last half of the book at least as a possibility. But what happened with his family did surprise me.

This was quite the psychological thriller. It's not what you'd expect from the genre. From any of its genres. It's not for everyone, but I loved it. It's fascinating and fucked up. I couldn't put it down.

Don't read this if you want some feel-good inspiration porn. Don't read this if you want paranormal romance. Don't read it for YA high school drama. You won't find it here. Read it for Andrew. Everything else is fleeting background noise.

It's creepy, dark, and twisted. It's told in two narratives: past and present, antimatter and matter. The tension inside Win/Drew is incredible. He's an unreliable narrator...or is he? And which version of himself? What is going on in his family? What happened to them? Why is he like this? Is there an actual paranormal twist coming or not?

It's very much person vs. self. It's not a high school drama. You hear about it but it's second hand distraction. Same with romance, masturbation, and puberty. It's all about being inside Win/Drew's head. It's his story told in the only way he can: aloof, mysterious, guilty, and breaking down. His depiction, narration, and the writing work together to express it perfectly.

As much as he tries to push people away, to degrade, he's a sympathetic character. Even before the big reveals. His a passive experience, waiting for something to happen. His mistakes are in a pattern and when the pieces all fall together, it's heartbreaking and understandable.

The ending is sad, hopeful, and real. You do not slap a band-aid on this kind of thing. A relationship doesn't “fix” you. It's a long, hard fucking process. It's depressing? OF FUCKING COURSE IT IS! When reading the blurb and starting it, I can't imagine thinking it'd be a happy tale. It's honest from the get-go, even shrouded in mystery. It's Andrew's truth as he knows it the whole way through

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  • Started reading
  • 30 March, 2016: Finished reading
  • 30 March, 2016: Reviewed
  • Started reading
  • 30 March, 2016: Finished reading
  • 30 March, 2016: Reviewed