Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children
No Solicitations
No Visitors
No Quests
Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else.
But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.
Nancy tumbled once, but now she's back. The things she's experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West's care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.
But Nancy's arrival marks a change at the Home. There's a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it's up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of things.
No matter the cost.
Winner: 2017 Hugo Award
Winner: 2017 Alex Award
Winner: 2017 Locus Award
Winner: 2016 Nebula Award
Nominated: 2017 World Fantasy Award
Nominated: 2017 British Fantasy Award
2016 Tiptree Honor List
Seanan's books (and those under her pen name Mira Grant) are favorites of mine, and this novella is stunning. It absolutely deserves the awards and acclaim it received. I first checked it out from Peoria Library when it was released, and have purchased the subsequent novellas in the series. Tor.com recently offered a free four-pack of LGBTQ e-novellas for Pride Month, and I was so happy to re-read this gem.
Nancy has returned from a world reminiscent of the Greek Underworld. Her hair is bleached white and she holds statue-still when unsure or scared. Her parents believe she was abducted and is delusional, so they ship her off to Eleanor West in hopes that they'll get the daughter they knew back. Nancy wants nothing more than to return to the world she knows as 'home'. Upon reaching the school, she meets her roommate from a candy world as dangerous as it is bright, twins from the Moors ruled by a vampire lord, a Goblin Prince in Waiting rejected by both his fairy world and parents, and a boy who loves a Skeleton Girl. Nancy barely has time to settle in and adapt to her new surroundings before terrible things begin to happen. As the new student from a dark world, she is immediately suspected.
Seanan's world building is always incredible, and it is on full display here, with tantalizing details offered for a number of worlds with orientations like Nonsense, Logic, Virtue, and Wickedness. With both asexual and trans characters, it is a book that resonates with many that rarely see themselves in fantasy works. It is truly a book that will stay with you.
Galesburg Public Library has two copies of Every Heart a Doorway that you can place on hold for pickup.
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