Boys in the Valley
1905. A Catholic orphanage is overflowing with boys who are perpetually hungry and subjected to draconian disciplinary measures. Brutal winter is fast approaching. A winter of discontent. Rhetorically, what could possibly go wrong? In the very capable hands of author Philip Fracassi, more than one might imagine. His novel Boys in theValley scatters the seeds of inherent discord and cultivates them with supernatural sulfur. Effectively employing the structural device of alternating between the protagonist’s point of view and an omniscient narrator, Fracassi creates sequences that are compelling.
Protagonist Peter Barlow is sixteen years old, one of the older boys housed at St. Vincent’s Orphanage. At the age of nine, he witnessed the horrific demise of both his parents and the burning of his home. The experience sped up his maturity and makes him a big brother figure to the other kids who dwell at the austere abode. His empathetic nature easily gives way to reflection: “When I think of all the souls who occupied these rooms and hallways, it makes me feel as if I’m part of something larger — more than just the kids who have come and gone since I arrived, but the community of a thousand spirits that continue to linger here, even after their departure. Or perhaps St. Vincent’s is simply the place where orphan souls return. A beacon for wayward spirits traversing cities and farms and open lands, finding this place once more, the home with which they most readily identify.”
Such sensitivity of feeling in a hostile environment thrusts Peter into the role of leader when all hell breaks loose. The simmering enmity of the mistreated boys comes to a boil when a malevolent force brought in from the outside world enters the premises. It unleashes pent up hostilities and leads several of the kids to turn against the others: gleefully maiming and murdering. The men of the cloth who reside and rule at the orphanage are in the crosshairs. There’s a proliferation of mutilation, demonic graffiti depicting occult symbols are carved into flesh. Not to mention an extremely hideous display of impiety regarding Christ’s crucifixion. Catholic carnage.
While it might be appealing and facile to dub Boys in the Valley “Lord of the Flies Meets The Exorcist,” I was reminded of another work: a play entitled Child’s Play. Written by Robert Marasco, author of the wonderfully disturbing 1973 novel Burnt Offerings, Child’s Play is set in an elite Catholic boarding school for boys. Animosity between two of the instructors creates a toxic atmosphere and the students start turning against one another in escalating acts of violence. There is a suggestion of demonic possession. It is chilling in its ambiguity and scenes of unprovoked savagery.
Philip Fracassi’s own take on the petri dish environment at a sequestered religious school makes for an exciting read. Boys in the Valley was first published in 2021 by the genre-oriented small press Earthling Books. Thanks to the Nightfire 2023 reprint, a larger readership will have the opportunity to experience it. This is my first Fracassi novel. It won’t be the last.
