Providence: A Novel

Thirteen-year-old Jon Bronson is peculiar. He loves his pet hamster, he is enthusiastic about the local newspaper, and he enjoys the cookie-like scent of his best friend and crush, Chloe. One day when taking the long route to school through the woods in order to avoid bullies like Carrig Birkus, Jon is kidnapped. For years, Chloe continues to hope for his return, but eventually she makes an effort to move on with her life. Four years later, Jon comes back with no memory of his captivity, although his captor left him with a disturbing note written inside a copy of H. P. Lovecraft’s The Dunwich Horror. Upon reuniting with his family, Jon realizes the harmful effect he has on other people’s health, and an attempt to declare his love to Chloe face-to-face ends with shocking tragedy. Six years later, detective Charles “Eggs” DeBenedictus believes there is a connection between the suspicious deaths among a number of young people in Providence, RI.

Told through alternating perspectives from Jon, Chloe, and Eggs, Caroline Kepnes’s Providence offers an exceptional blend of mystery, horror, romance, and paranormal fiction laced with relatable emotion that will appeal to any reader who has ever loved. Kepnes handles the complicated elements of her story with incredible precision and purpose. The only downfall is Jon’s inexplicable silence about his condition, which seems dishonest to his character. Despite this, Providence should not be overlooked.