St. Vincent’s Orphanage for Boys.
Early twentieth century, in a remote valley in Pennsylvania.
Here, under the watchful eyes of several priests, thirty boys work, learn, and worship. Peter Barlow, orphaned as a child by a gruesome murder, has made a new life here. As he approaches adulthood, he has friends, a future…a family.
Then, late one stormy night, a group of men arrive at their door, one of whom is badly wounded, occult symbols carved into his flesh. His death releases an ancient evil that spreads like sickness, infecting St. Vincent’s and the children within. Soon, boys begin acting differently, forming groups. Taking sides.
Others turn up dead.
Now Peter and those dear to him must choose sides of their own, each of them knowing their lives ― and perhaps their eternal souls ― are at risk.
It’s never too early to start thinking of my favorite reads of the year, and of the likely-nonexistent post(s) I’ll create to celebrate said books.
Maybe this year will be different, though! Anything is possible.
Something I would usually try to avoid on a (real or imagined) Favorite Reads of the Year list would be to include an author twice. But I think Philip Fracassi has made that impossible here.
I’ve taken every opportunity to rave about his recently-released THE AUTUMN SPRINGS RETIREMENT HOME MASSACRE, a book that I’ve only gotten more obsessed with after reading. I’m hoping to do a reread on audiobook for that one in the next couple weeks, but in the meantime, it was back to filling in the “gaps” in my Nightfire reading list with BOYS IN THE VALLEY, and goddamn.
This one fucking broke me. I also think maybe…there’s genuine evil in this book? There’s a lot of hope & friendship & really beautiful moments in this story as well. But BOYS IN THE VALLEY is dark in a way that not many books I’ve read are. This book sincerely rattled me & left me thinking yeah, there maybe is a sprinkling of real, primal evil in these pages.
The book is set in rural Pennsylvania, and the bulk of the story takes place at an orphanage for boys called St. Vincent’s. The year is 1905.
Our main character is sixteen-year-old Peter Barlow, orphaned at nine after his father murdered his mother, before turning the gun on himself. Peter is training to become a priest, and has settled into something like a leadership role at the orphanage. He’s one of the older boys there, he’s kind, thoughtful, and hard-working.
But the orphanage is a hard place. The boys are constantly worked, always hungry, and are subject to all kinds of abuse.
There’s a deep sense of isolation that settles over you almost immediately as you start reading this. These boys are extremely cut off from the outside world. Peter occasionally gets to accompany the friendly Father Andrew to the nearby Hill farm, where they resupply. This is also where Peter has fallen in love with Grace Hill.
Falling in love & becoming a priest are not exactly compatible, but Andrew is willing to let Peter really explore all of his feelings. He wants Peter to become a priest only if he wants to, not because he feels as though he has to.
One night something terrible & unexpected happens at the orphanage (and unexpected things do not happen here, under the watchful eye of Father Poole, the stern old priest in charge). The sherriff & his deputies arrive with a severely injured man. A man who was involved in a deeply disturbing & upsetting occult murder of a very small child.
It becomes clear to Father Poole & Father Andrew that this man is possessed by demons.
Demons that are shortly unleashed at the orphanage, pitting different factions of boys against one another in a brutal, bitter fight for survival.
Oof. As I mentioned, this book gets incredibly dark. The boys at St. Vincent’s are mistreated at every opportunity. Father Poole is excessively harsh in his punishments. Punishments that are typically carried out by one of the book’s most complex characters, Brother Johnson.
Johnson is absolutely introduced as one of the main villains of the piece. He’s huge & ominous & threatening, and has a violent and mysterious past. He is also the one who brings the boys to The Hole, a deep hole dug into the ground that misbehaving boys find themselves thrown into for the night, regardless of the outside temperatures.
But as the threats begin to get more & more dire inside the orphanage, we really begin to see that Johnson is a very multi-faceted character, and much more than just a cruel, brutish enforcer (though he can be that).
There’s also this great dynamic between Peter & David, the other de facto leader of the boys. They are the two oldest, and so the younger boys naturally look up to them. But where Peter embraces this role, David is much more reluctant. Peter & David’s friendship (tenuous as it sometimes feels) is really at the heart of BOYS IN THE VALLEY, and watching how each of them navigates their way through this awful experience is fascinating.
I sometimes try to pick books that “match” the season & if that’s something you like to do as well, I would HIGHLY recommend reading BOYS IN THE VALLEY in the dead of winter. I know winter horror is its own little subgenre, and this book will have you reaching for a blanket to stay warm. Fracassi is so skilled at sending the reader into this brutal environment, and as an awful blizzard rages outside the orphanage, you can really feel the chill on your neck.
I’m repeating myself again and again, but this book goes to some incredibly dark & upsetting places, and readers should take care. I loved everything about BOYS IN THE VALLEY & would definitely consider this a new favorite of mine. Just a stunning, brutal, and unforgettable horror novel.
Grimdark Dad 