Module 5: The Diviners

Module 5

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Summary

This is a fantasy/ historical fiction novel set in New York City in 1926. The main character, Evie has been sent from her hometown in Ohio to live with her uncle in New York city. He runs a museum focused on the occult. Shortly after Evie arrives in New York her uncle is asked by the police to assist with the investigation of a series of murders that seem to have a connection to the occult. Evie has a secret ability to read images and feelings from objects and she uses this ability to discover information about the murders and becomes entwined in the investigation. She and her uncle discover that there is an evil supernatural element at work in the city.

Citation

Bray, L. (2012). The Diviners. New York, NY: Hachette



My impression

This is a fun fantasy novel that has great historical fiction elements. The setting in New York in the twenties is very vibrant and full of energy. The mystery aspect of the story is very engaging and the story moves quickly. This book is the beginning of a series and it ends a bit abruptly without resolving some characters' storylines. It feels a bit like a lot of exposition for the rest of the series.

Review from Booklist

Here’s your headline, boss:“SmallTown Dame Lands in Big Apple, Goes Wild, Tries to Stop Resurrection of Antichrist.” It’ll sell bundles! Indeed it will, as Bray continues her winning streak with this heedlessly sprawling series starter set in Prohibition-era NewYork. Slang-slinging flapper Evie, 17, is “pos-i-tute-ly” thrilled to be under the wing of her uncle, who runs the Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult. Business is slow (i.e., plenty of time for Evie to swill gin at speakeasies!) until the grisly arrival of what the papers dub the Pentacle Killer, who might be the reincarnation of a religious zealot named Naughty John. Even Evie’s new pals—hoofers, numbers runners, and activists, but all swell kids—are drawn into the investigation. It’s Marjorie Morningstar meets Silence of the Lambs, and Bray dives into it with the brio of the era, alternating rat-a-rat flirting with cold-blooded killings. Seemingly each teen has a secret ability (one can read an object’s history; another can heal), and yet the narrative maintains the flavor of historical fiction rather than fantasy. The rest of the plot—well, how much time do you have? The book is big and wants to be the kind of thing you can lose yourself in. Does it succeed? It’s jake, baby.—Daniel Kraus

Kraus, D. (2012). [Review of the book The Diviners, by L. Bray]. Booklist, 108(21), 54. Retrieved from EBSCOhost

Idea for use in the library

Many high school language arts classes study The Great Gatsby. I would put together a collection of books to show students as they are studying The Great Gatsby that are set in the same time period that they might enjoy.