This Stays Between Us

Margot McGovern's second YA novel, This Stays Between Us, has made it to the shortlist for the CBCA Older Readers award, which is fairly unusual for a genre novel (not that it should be). Perhaps the CBCA judges are making a belated attempt to recognise the excellent work being achieved by Australian authors in these categories, or perhaps it's a recognition of their popularity with readers. No shade on This Stays Between Us, which is a sharp, accomplished novel that ties together a scary horror tale with a distinctly feminist message about violence against women.

Set in the early 2000s (so no one has mobile phones), four teenage girls are spending two nights at a remote South Australian school camp. Between ghost stories by the campfire, rumours of a phantom haunting the old settlement, ambiguous experiences that might be imaginations running riot, or might just be a real threat, McGovern expertly ratchets up the tension to a bloody climax.

There is a lot packed into these two nights and one day. Sexual harrassment, queer love, friendship tensions, power imbalances and peer pressure, all bring a texture of reality to the horror content. I'm not usually a horror fan (I keep making exceptions to this rule!) but I'm not surprised This Stays Between Us made it through to the next round.