Black Helicopters by Blythe Woolston (review)

With an explosives vest strapped to her chest and two boys as hostages, fifteen-year-old Valkyrie White is on a mission, one she's had since childhood. Raised in backwoods Montana by her survivalist father, taught to despise Those People and to fear their black helicopters, she spent her youth in isolation, preparing for possible attack from above. Suddenly, though, her father is gone, and Valley is convinced the black helicopters are to blame. Now she and her brother Bo are on their own, trying to survive while carrying on their father's work. They first fall in with Captain Nichols, who uses Bo in his smuggling operation and uses Valley in far more vicious and violent ways. Hoping to protect his sister, Bo turns to fellow survivalist Wolf and his family, who give them shelter and provide Valley with a chance to carry out the mission her father gave her. The only things standing in her way are the boys she's taken captive. An intense psychological thriller about the evolution of a young domestic terrorist, this novel is as compelling as it is bleak. The narrative, in the stark prose that is Valkyrie's distinctive voice, alternates between her devastating past and her violent present, ratcheting up the suspense while exploring the path that led her there. Valkyrie herself emerges as a survivor, equal parts savvy and ignorance, and the strength of her voice and her determination keep her from being simply a victim or a villain. The scarring physical and psychological events of Valkyrie's life (including a shocking sexual violation involving a gun barrel) make this an emotionally tough and difficult read, but those readers who persevere will find the complex structure and literary style intriguing enough to bring them back for a reread.