Joey's life is changing quickly. First his mother passed away unexpectedly. Then instead of being able to live with a friend or foster family, he is sent away to live with his father, a man he never knew existed in Iowa.
Used to big city life in Chicago, relative obscurity in school and good friends and teachers around him, life in small town Iowa is going to take some getting used to. Just by being the new kid, he has a target on the back, and it doesn't help that they've nicknamed his father "the garbageman". Between a couple of bullies, mean teachers and his father's absence at home, Joey is desperate for his old life.
Then he learns his father's secret. His father is part of a historic tradition with lineage going back to Shakespeare and Leonardo da Vinci. It has roots in environmentalism, and medical science. Not many men do this anymore, and getting caught is a serious crime. His father is a grave robber.
Thrust (after some begging) into the world of robbing graves, Joey's life changes. Sure, there's still bullying, and the stink, but there is also adventure and treasure. Learning the secrets of graveyard, finding good graves, and knowing what is worth digging are all lessons he must learn, and that is just the start.
The world of the grave digger is one of invisibility, even though other colorful characters share the job description. Tradition, and valuing life are two things these men do, and as the rules start to be broken, Joey and his father need to find a way to maintain their employment, even as their world starts to be exposed.
Rotters is a horror story that will grip you, reel you in, and make you question a lot of things. Not for the feint of heart, Rotters goes into detail about rotting bodies, crime and even some violence. Daniel Kraus must have done a lot of research, because you will feel like you are there with Joey and Harnett as they go on their night journeys.
This is not your average YA book, however if you loved the Monstrumologist (Rick Yancy) books, and wonder where all the good scary books are, you will have to check out Rotters by Daniel Kraus.
I'll see you @ the library!
Katie (Hoping to read something light next, maybe Crossed, the sequel to Matched by Ally Condie)
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