Breakaway Books

Authored by Kate van der Borgh; Published October 2024; Horror

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🏖️

I enjoyed And He Shall Appear barring one major flaw: It was remarkably similar to A Separate Peace, the most annoying novel of my high school days. Between the pretentious schooling and the inauspicious ending, it was impossible for me not to be frequently reminded of it.

So, it says a lot that I still liked reading And He Shall Appear, which follows an unnamed middle class student as he enters the unfamiliar world of Cambridge. As the student dives deeper into friendship with the highly popular Bryn, an amateur magician, he begins to question what type of magic, exactly, Bryn performs. As students begin to drop like flies, it becomes an urgent question, prompting the narrator to constantly wonder if Bryn presents a true danger. The novel is an exceptional psychological thriller—with the amount of creepy vibes it has, I cannot recommend reading it at night.

The narrator quite skillfully places the reader in his shoes: watching the slights of hand that Bryn performs, observing the tricks he plays upon the classmates that he dislikes, and always questioning if it might just be possible that there is more to Bryn than he is letting on. The twist, though somewhat predictable, still made for an extremely satisfying ending while leaving the reader (or at least me) quite disturbed.

But, if privileged, rich university students annoy you, you will not like this book. At every turn, there is a teenager flaunting his wealth, strongly contrasted with the narrator’s middle class background. The narrator’s repeated attempts to assimilate into the environment feel desperate and sad, and reminiscent of the strong adolescent desire to fit in. I squirmed with the awkwardness frequently featured throughout the novel. 

Highly recommend this one for spooky season!