Traumaland, a standalone psychological thriller by HappyHead author Josh Silver, is a brilliant and gripping read. Silver's own experiences as a psychiatric nurse brings a nuanced yet confronting perspective on how we process trauma, as well as the voyeuristic nature of humanity. I couldn’t put this novel down—the final shocking twist was well-earned and made for a deeply satisfying conclusion.

Traumaland by Josh Silver
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I've lost count of the number of opening sentences I've written and deleted for this review so far. I'm still processing and probably will be for a while. I also don't want to give too much away because Traumaland is plot-driven and full of potential spoilable moments. But it's also hugely character-driven and I could talk about Eli forever. As someone who has experienced trauma and therapy, I related to Eli maybe a little too hard. For a book with 'trauma' in the title, the narrative voice Silver has lovingly crafted for Eli is rich with dark sarcastic humour and hilarious asides that break the 4th wall, giving me major Fleabag vibes. I feel it's impossible to not fall in love with Eli immediately and that's really important for the story because you have to root for him. Frankly, if you don't, you're the psychopath.
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I realise I've not really mentioned the plot yet because I'm terrified of ruining anything for potential readers (PSA everyone needs to read this) but I will give you a glimpse. Eli is 17 and he's experienced head trauma following an accident that ensued as a result of his manic behaviour. He is left numb, literally unable to feel emotions. He's desperate to feel something, anything again but is convinced that the easiest way to do this is to force negative emotions by doing bad things. In the pursuit of this, Eli discovers a dangerous underground club called Traumaland where revellers get high on other people's trauma. But it's ok because the trauma is all fictionalised and acted out by professionals... Or is it? That's all I'm willing to give you. What I will add is if the quote "meet me in Montauk" means anything to you, you're going to want to read this book.
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There's no point being coy about this; Silver is a master at his craft. Happyhead and Dead Happy pushed some boundaries in terms of what YA speculative dystopia could be. His relentless focus on teenage mental health is honourable and extremely important in giving young readers the representation they crave and the reassurance that they are not alone. Traumaland goes a little bit further. What Silver does with this novel is show us how sick it is to revel in others' trauma, and then hold up a mirror to the reader to make us realise that's exactly what we're doing when we watch horror films, or read dystopian novels, or even watch the drama unfold on a British street in one of the popular soaps. We consume trauma for entertainment, but it's ok because it's not real. Silver asks what happens when it is real? Would we turn away?
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This novel is obviously going to come with some triggers, but if anyone needs reassurance before picking it up, a lot of the potential triggers occur off page. In fact, Silver leaves you to fill in a lot of the gaps for yourself, so you almost choose the level of brutality for yourself. Silver's experience as a mental health nurse means that he knows the effect this stuff could have on readers, and so he's very good at finding the balance of what to show and what to imply. I will never not read one of his books. Thank you to Rock the Boat for sending us a proof. It's already looking a little dog-eared as our librarians are taking turns with it.

I was so close to DNFinf this book, but I'm so glad I didn't as the literal next chapter blew my mind! This gives off very much Black Mirror vibes that I fell in love with once the story got moving. The ending left me in utter shock, and I will be needing a sequel!

3.5

Loved this book, loved the story, the characters, the twists and turns. Everything about it was just insane in the best ways!