Freakslaw

Starred review from February 1, 2025
Blending supernatural horror, queer fiction, and magical realism, Flett's debut showcases an eclectic cast of characters both beautifully bizarre and emotionally real. It's 1997, and teens like overachiever Ruth and self-doubting Derek endure a mundane existence in the small Scottish town of Pitlaw while also seeking an escape. That escape comes in the form of the Freakslaw, a traveling funfair that has a powerful fortune teller, her chaotic contortionist daughter, conjoined twins, strongmen, and others who have sinister intentions for Pitlaw, a town that soon violently rejects Freakslaw's strangeness. Flett smartly introduces the novel's entire cast like it's a play; however, the book doesn't feel bloated. Flett uses her formidable writing talents to juggle these characters, from mundane Pitlaw citizens to eccentric Freakslaw members, and make them all feel authentic and multifaceted. The residents of Pitlaw are as fascinating as the Pin Gal or Werewolf Louie because Flett recognizes the beauty in all of her characters. Fans of Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes will love the carnival atmosphere, but Flett's striking story is less about good versus evil and more about the predictable comfort of conformity versus the desire to be one's true self.

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February 21, 2025

DEBUT The Scottish village of Pitlaw is oppressively joyless and stagnant, and teenage residents Ruth and Derek spend the summer of 1997 dreaming of being somewhere else and having different lives. Then Pitlaw is visited by the queer traveling carnival Freakslaw, transforming a field is into a sparkling, magical place filled with chaotic energy. Soon, the local residents are feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the vibrant, sensual pleasures of the carnival, while the outsiders harbor a desire for revenge for past wrongs, both of which threaten to bring violence to everyone. In Flett's debut novel, the banality of everyday life in Pitlaw is contrasted with the colorful magic of the carnival. As the story develops, the barrier between the two worlds is thinned. The found family of those for whom Freakslaw is a place where they can belong, just as they are, will draw many readers in. VERDICT Fans of stories about characters seeking belonging and their true selves will fall into the world Flett has created. Readers who enjoyed Seanan McGuire's Deadlands: Boneyard or the anthology Carniepunk will also find much to appreciate here.--Lila Denning

Copyright 2025 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2025
A traveling sideshow and a conservative town clash in late 1990s Scotland in this debut novel. The Freakslaw rolls into Pitlaw one afternoon, showcasing its collection of misfits and weirdos to the town's conservative (and repressed) residents. The group sets up shop in an old abandoned field and gets to work setting up tents. The locals say there's no way they'll attend, but as the freaks make their way into town, the residents' curiosity is heightened, and some find themselves drawn in when the show finally opens. But there is fury in the soil in Pitlaw, a deep-seated rage passed down through the centuries that doesn't like its town being messed with. The show's stop in Pitlaw will change the townspeople forever, but the question is whether it will be for good or ill. Flett has created an incredibly physical world full of magic and consequences. There's a character list at the beginning of the novel and, indeed, there are almost too many people to keep track of, between the various denizens of both the carnival and the town. While the most important ones stand out--Nancy, the young witch of the carnival; Zed, the free-spirited waltzer boy; Ruth, the no-nonsense teen determined to get out of Pitlaw; Derek, the quiet boy stuck under his father's thumb--there are so many that it becomes hard to keep track of them as the chapters dance back and forth between the magical misfits and the staid townsfolk. The action paces ever onward to an ultimate conflagration, and the writing is visceral. There are no details left to the imagination, all the blood and guts, hate and joy on full display. The Freakslaw is a place for outcasts to find their voices, and Flett has certainly displayed hers as she welcomes readers to her powerful imagination. A fearsome, hopeful, cautionary tale of otherness, hatred, and rebirth.

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