DEAD FLIP

Farizan’s latest explores friendship, identity, and a horrifying, body-snatching pinball machine.

It’s 1993, and former friends Cori and Maz haven’t spoken in years. After their friend Sam mysteriously disappeared 6 years ago on Halloween, they had a falling-out. Now, popular Cori struggles with hiding her queer identity and her horror obsession. Meanwhile, Persian American cross-country team co-captain Maz, one of the few non-White kids at their prep school, has been drinking too much and doesn’t fully open up to any of his friends. One day, the unimaginable happens: Sam reappears, and he’s still 12. He says he was sucked into some other dimension through a pinball machine. Maz believes him and is thrilled to have his friend back, but when they bring Cori into the fold, she’s dubious. After some strange and terrifying happenings, Maz has to admit that maybe there is something not quite right about their returned friend. Fast-paced and exhilarating, this story consists of short, first-person chapters that shift between the lead characters and jump from their present to the past around the time of Sam’s disappearance. Specific pop-culture and brand references flesh out the setting. Coming-of-age horror tales with a group of young people facing evil have been done many times before; this reads like a thoughtful homage that puts its own fresh spin on these beloved tropes.

Entertaining supernatural thrills and an insightful take on growing up.