On a Clear Day, You Can See Block Island by Gage Greenwood is a tale of monsters and deeply-seated trauma that will leave readers heartbroken for the characters in the book while also feeling the urge to look to the corners of the room in the real world to make sure nothing is lurking there with a dark smile.
Content Warnings:
Death of a parent, alcoholism, drug use, overdose, suicide, death of a child, injury detail, and blood.
Let’s dive in!
My Thoughts on On a Clear Day, You Can See Block Island by Gage Greenwood –
Having lost their mother to an accident at the workplace, this family moves to Block Island using the money from the settlement. The father is still mourning, but happy to see his children getting a bit of normalcy back when they move into their new home. However, it’s not long before a fun game they were all playing comes to a screeching halt when the family witnesses the brutal murder of their sister and daughter, Wreath. To make matters even worse, people don’t believe them when they explain what happened and the general public puts them through the wringer, thinking they are all crazy as they stated a monster killed their sister.
Four years later, each family member is dealing with the trauma in their own way; numbing the horror with drugs and alcohol, avoiding human connection, keeping the lights on, questing for answers, acting out… Each of them are stuck, and none of them realize just how much they need one another.
One day, after seeing an illustration of their monster in a book about Block Island, the kids decide to visit the island where their sister was killed to ask the artist some questions. Unfortunately, their search for information ends up freeing the monsters from the confines of the shorelines and puts more than just their family at risk back on the mainland.
What comes next is tense and anxiety-inducing as readers follow the kids as they run from the monsters until they can’t run any longer.
I had such a hard time putting this book down! I needed to see what happened next and with each turn of the page, I was so nervous to see what new horrors this poor family would face. The author does such a great job stringing readers along in the dark, not knowing why this family was the target until the “OH SHOOT” moment where the dad gives a little detail that makes the puzzle pieces slam into place.
The way this author creates atmosphere and tension is incredible. For example, the fog element and description of how it looked was so eerie and the descriptions of how it smelled brought me right back to my hometown, an island off the coast of Maine! Not only that, but I was ready for a jump scare each time the fog rolled into a scene. And speaking of jump scares, a scene in Chapter 15 gave me a stomach ache like one specific terrifying scene in The Taking of Deborah Logan… my gosh!
While focused mainly on grief, loss, and terror, there are also many uplifting elements sprinkled in! However, when it came time for some of the uplifting bits, I really appreciated that it wasn’t all sunshine and daisies; that the author allowed the characters to begin to forgive, but not forget and not excuse poor behavior with a quick “I’m sorry.”
What an all-around wild ride!
My Favorite Passages from On a Clear Day, You Can See Block Island –
Block Island. From the Charlestown beach, on a clear day, a person could make out the outlines of the island. It had two lighthouses on each side, two little thumbtacks. Charlie imagined plucking them and watching the island curl up into a scroll.
Horror wasn’t a spotlight on evil, it was control. If a person could create beautiful sentences from horrific events, then any person could weave their way through life’s trauma. You just had to make the grime shine.
“Charlie, me knowing about this doesn’t expose you. It gives you more armor. I’m your friend.”
The kid was a weathered and leaning gravestone, stuck in the place where his sister lay and ready to crumble from a gentle breeze.
None of them were in control. Never had been. They all spiraled in different directions, but in the end, they all had to meet the fucking wall. One explosion after the next. It was their destiny, a tale set in stone the moment their father opened the door and revealed to them a creature who fed on their sister.
Angela tried to stand but almost fell over, as though her legs had turned to seaweed in a current.
My Final Thoughts on On a Clear Day, You Can See Block Island –
Oh boy, if there was ever a book tagline that perfectly sums up my childhood for better or for worse, it’s this one (for very different reasons than these characters of course!): They left the island, but the island never left them.
Horror fans, you’re going to love this intense tale! I know I had a blast with it! From intense human emotion and relationships to the bloodshed and the creatures, this book will have you on the edge of your seat!
On a Clear Day, You Can See Block Island will be available for purchase on February 10th, 2024! Stay tuned for additional links as they become available!
Thanks for reading!
Loved this review! I’ve been meaning to read more of Gage Greenwood’s work, and your insights have convinced me to pick up On a Clear Day, You Can See Block Island sooner rather than later. Your analysis of the characters and their relationships really helped me visualize the story and I’m excited to dive in. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
<3 Enjoy!!