Delicate Monsters by Stephanie Kuehn (review)

Seventeen-year-old Sadie Su is looking forward to wreaking some havoc when she returns to her wealthy family’s estate after being kicked out of her third boarding school. Her ex-friend Emerson is horrified by her return; Sadie knows things about him, things he’d rather forget, that could derail his blossoming romance with a classmate and disgust his family and friends. Meanwhile, Emerson’s younger brother Miles suffers from mysterious illnesses and visions of future violence that might take place at his school. Surprisingly, Sadie is the one who takes pity on Miles while Emerson retreats into a shame spiral; when Miles goes missing after a humiliating encounter with bullies, Sadie must confront her past demons as she seeks him—and as she realizes his violent intentions. Not one character here, not even the put-upon Miles, is particularly likable, but all are nonetheless fascinating to watch as they struggle to reconcile their perceptions of themselves with the choices they make. Sadie revels in cruelty, so she is therefore shocked by her compassion towards Miles, mostly because she’s certain she’s incapable of tenderness. Emerson suspects that he is fundamentally bad, and his efforts towards what he sees as good behavior are continually thwarted by his own guilt. Miles, meanwhile, believes he is fated to be the victim until he steps into the role of victimizer. Each of the three could legitimately be considered a psychopath at different points in the book, and it’s to Kuehn’s credit that she manages to give them all a bit of humanity even as she makes it clear that these are people with very disturbed views about the world. Sex, booze, and wealth surround them, but it’s not the high life that ultimately destroys these teens but rather their savage belief that destruction—both of themselves and others—is inevitable.