Born Scared

Gr 7-10—Elliot's list of phobias is so exhaustive, he describes himself as being "chronically afraid of almost everything." He never leaves the house and uses medication to tame his fears, but a mix-up with his prescription sends his mother out into a snowstorm to restock. She gets caught up in a plot and held hostage by some criminal types in Santa suits, and when she doesn't return, Elliot faces the unknown to look for her. His fears quickly overwhelm him, leading to emotional depletion and a self-described feeling of being dead, which somehow allows him to make calculated decisions at the story's climax. Ellamay, Elliot's twin sister who died at birth, provides guidance as her voice comes and goes at convenient moments. It's not clear if Ellamay is intended as an element of magical realism or as a manifestation of psychosis, but her character succeeds as neither. The points of view are split between Elliot, the bad Santas, and a hapless bank manager who spends most of his portion of the novel driving under the influence of drugs. While the split narrative is useful to tie the plot together, too much time is spent on adult characters, whose stories may be less relatable to youth. Elliot's fears are endlessly mentioned in the narrative, but the way he feels and experiences them is never adequately explored. Disturbingly, Elliot's mother and their trusted family doctor don't seek psychological help for him beyond medication and isolation.