Chicken by Chase Night
I’ve been incredibly busy with work, so finding any span of uninterrupted time to read Chicken by Chase Night has been nothing short of depressing. But once I found a window of time (thanks, cold), I couldn’t set the book down. This story knocked the breath out of me. Let me tell you: Chase Night’s Chicken is absolutely wonderful.
If you’ve ever lived in or around the Bible Belt, read this book. If you’re familiar with the conservative south, small-town America, Licking, MO (that’s for you, Ritzy), or any other derivative of any of these places, read this book. Even if you’re easily offended or can’t relate to any of these places, still, read this book.
Chicken by Chase Night
Night’s Chicken is a story of courage and love—forbidden love. The real monsters take the form of you and me, and the beasts are the redeemers of humanity. Presented as a YA novel, all ages would benefit from reading this book. Just do yourself a favor and read it.
I moved back to Northwest Arkansas in July 2012—when this book takes place. The story gave me flashbacks of some heavily covered press events from that summer. You might remember the Chick-Fil-A headlines that year. Night’s book is smartly written, the humor well-timed in the face of heavy topics. It kept me from falling into a deep depression for what the main characters, Casper and Brant, endured.
There’s an intense scene on page 271 between Casper, his parents, and his sister Laramie. The scene about sent me into a shock. I didn’t know whether to laugh like an all-out crazy person or to just burst into tears. Chicken did that a lot. It ricocheted between the sad indecencies of a close-minded society and the saving humor found in epiphanic realizations.
I read somewhere that Night plans to turn Chicken into a trilogy, with Chicken as book two. If true, I can’t wait to get my hands on The Natural State and Demoniac. I adore Casper Quinn and Brant Mitchell. But even with the disclosure of a coming trio, let me tell you, Chicken is brilliant as a standalone novel.
After reading this book, I visited Night’s Instagram out of curiosity. Take a gander. It’s apparent he had lots of inspiration in crafting the story of Casper and Brant. I can’t wait to read more of their story.
If you enjoy indie reads, you might like my review of Particles by Shawn Mihalik.