Six of Sorrow

Gr 9 Up–Sorrow, a small island off the coast of Louisiana, was named after a witch. Even though most residents no longer believe the town’s paranormal history, they light bonfires on the beach and burn wishes yearly in hopes that Sorrow will hear. Newly 16-year-olds Isabeau and Reuel burn their own wishes at a birthday picnic in the cemetery, celebrating their bond, even if they are only a third of the original six girls who share one birthday. But when Reuel goes missing the next day and another in the original group disappears soon after, the sisterhood must reunite to stop an entity from claiming them one by one. The island of Sorrow’s eerie atmosphere pervades this fast-paced story, heightening the combination of teenage angst and supernatural threat throughout. With six teenage girls, their families, a few significant others, and friends, the cast of characters is large, but the focus successfully remains on the core friend group, via Isabeau’s perspective, as they seek a way to counter their curse. Woven throughout the work is an examination of varying types of love—self-love, friendship, familial, romantic, and obsessive—that add a second layer to the plot.