Trigger Warnings: drowning, grief, death of a sibling, death of parents

This Town Is Not All Right by M. K. Krys opens with the arrival of twelve-year-old twins Everleigh and Beacon into Driftwood Harbor, Maine. The twins have moved with their father from Los Angeles after the tragic death of their older brother Jason—an accident the twins both feel responsible for—and Everleigh, in particular, has been suffering from mental health issues since it happened.

As soon as they arrive, Beacon begins to suspect that Driftwood Harbor is more than a little strange. The town’s kids all act like overly polite, well-dressed zombies except for one, Arthur, whom Beacon befriends after bumping into him in the woods. Arthur quickly fills Beacon in on the town’s famous history; in 1967, a mysterious object crashed into the water by the pier but was never recovered. Arthur is also the founding (and so far only) member of YAT—Youth Searching for Alien Truth—and is dedicated to discovering the truth about the supposed UFO of 1967. At first, Beacon is skeptical, but when his own sister’s personality flips so completely that he no longer recognizes her, the two boys team up to find out what’s really happening to the kids of Driftwood Harbor and how much the adults in town, including Beacon and Everleigh’s dad, really know about it.

This was a… strange book. Genre-wise it is in some parts horror, in others thriller, and largely science-fiction but all written in a middle-grade style that occasionally comes across as if it is intended for an older audience. The story tackles government conspiracies, aliens, mental health, bodily autonomy, and—in a roundabout way—climate change, which is a lot for a relatively short middle-grade book. The pacing is also a little odd. I did appreciate the time given over to the more intimate scenes that built up the relationships between the main characters, but this meant that the action scenes often felt rushed. There were also a LOT of unanswered questions by the end, which left me feeling frustrated.

One big theme that is ever-present here is that of grief. Beacon, Everleigh, and their father are all still in a very raw place following the death of Jason, and all three are processing this in very different ways, some healthier than others. Arthur too is nurturing some deep-seated grief over the loss of his parents when he was eight, and it is this connection that initially draws him and Beacon together. The book is told entirely from Beacon’s perspective, but his close relationship with his twin sister gives us plenty of insight into her emotions too as Beacon tries to support her while holding himself together. By the end, the family has managed to take positive steps in handling their grief, but at the cost of what will likely be an enormous amount of PTSD.

Despite what might read like a somewhat negative review, I did genuinely enjoy This Town Is Not All Right, and I read the whole thing in a single day. There’s plenty of interesting alien lore at play for younger readers new to the concept to dig into and those familiar with the genre will find plenty of common tropes given interesting twists, even if some of it does push the boundaries of suspension of disbelief rather far. The book ends on an enormous cliffhanger, so if you need closure in your stories, this is one to avoid, but if you’re looking for an action-packed, alien adventure with a heartfelt core of love between siblings, then give it a chance.