Davey
asked:
So, I work in a bookstore--read this and loved it, and would like to stock it. But I'm having a really hard time deciding if it's YA or general lit. The price point of the hardback suggests YA. Also, obviously, it's about high schoolers. But our supplier (Ingram) lists it as general fiction. Also, it just doesn't quite *read* like YA to me. Just curious what others think. General fiction, or YA?
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My Best Friend's Exorcism,
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Bambi Quim
I agree. I also adored this novel, but it feels more like "general lit" than "YA lit." While the protagonists are primarily teens for the majority of the novel, the subject matter feels like it is aimed more for an older audience, anyway. This book feels like '80s nostalgia, which reaches for an older audience and/or a younger audience that really likes to watch old '80s movies (which was definitely me in high school, but I'm not sure if that was normal even then, let alone now).
Stephanie
I'm a librarian. I would place this book in General Lit.
Kayla
General lit. I'm one of those weird younger people who is obsessed with the 80's, and understands all the references and everything. But most teens probably wouldn't, and it's much darker and more explicit than most YA books. Plus all the gore and such.
Niall O'Conghaile
Can it not be in both? If it can only be in one section and you had to choose, I would go for general lit as the more interested YA horror readers will find it there anyway (I would hope!). And I know what you mean by "it doesn't quite *read* like YA", but isn't that kind of depressing really? Also, at least you still HAVE a YA Horror section in your store! My closest bookshop, a large, major retailer, has done away with the "Horror" category altogether! In both YA and general. It has now be folded into the "Sci-Fi & Fantasy" section, which to me seems absurd, but they have told me that since the sections were integrated, they have actually sold more horror novels. So who knows?
Artistefacial
Kristen Definitely general lit. That's where all of my local libraries are shelving it. I think some of the language and the subject matter push it into general lit.
Kelley
In my library, they have it stocked in adult fiction.
X
In my opinion, it's more adult fiction that has teenagers as protagonists.
P
I felt the same way until I started reading it. Although YA literature is well written, this just has a more "adult" ring to the writing. I do not enjoy YA books. I loved this one and am happy that I decided to read it even after reading the description.
Dawn Major
I'd say YA. YA extends beyond teenagers. A lot of 40 year old women read it.
Garry
Difficult one as it depends on your view of the horror aspect of the book. There are a few scenes that are quite creepy and potentially disturbing to YA readers. It feels like more of an adult book to me so Gen Lit but it could also sit in the Horror section.
Mel
My Best Friend's Exorcism is YA horror.
Scrawly Weaver
Horror section!😉
Kate
General lit. Could go in Horror.
It shouldn't be a problem for older teens, but there are some mature topics that arise in the story. (References to oral sex, loads of gore, etc.) Plus, it seems to be aiming for 1980s nostalgia in readers who have lived through the period.
It shouldn't be a problem for older teens, but there are some mature topics that arise in the story. (References to oral sex, loads of gore, etc.) Plus, it seems to be aiming for 1980s nostalgia in readers who have lived through the period.
LibraryGirl2008
While the heroines are both teens, I would not shelve it in the teen section. The beginning is a little slow, and the plot itself is so steeped in ’80s nostalgia that most teens probably wouldn’t appreciate the references.
Erin
I don't know. So far it seems like a teen book to me (a teen librarian). It reads so much like other teen books we have. Plus, I've read so many worse things in books we already have in the teen section... That being said, my library also has it in the adult section, but that's probably because of where our supplier put it.
Kristen
Definitely general lit. That's where all of my local libraries are shelving it. I think some of the language and the subject matter push it into general lit.
Renee
general lit- that's where Barnes and Noble shelves it and with the way it's written and subject matter def. just the normal literary section.
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