Published: 2024
Author: Logan-Ashley Kisner
Genre: YA Horror / LGBTQIA+ / Coming-of-Age
Audience: Grades 10–12, Adult
Number of Stars: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Goodreads Link: Old Wounds
Content Warnings: Violence, hate crimes, self-harm, suicide, and transphobia. Recommended for mature readers due to intense themes.
Publisher’s Summary
Erin and Max are two trans kids who are just trying to get to California. Max is desperate to finally be able to transition, and Erin is longing to understand why she’s on this trip to begin with, after Max suddenly broke up with her two years earlier.
But when they find themselves stranded – and eventually separated – in the creepy woods of rural middle-America, they suddenly have much bigger problems.
First, there’s the creature that, according to legend, feeds on girls, hunting them through the shadows. And then there are the locals, who are searching for a female sacrifice. If either of them hope to survive to see the sunrise, Erin and Max will have to come together and stop running: from their attackers, from each other, and, ultimately, from themselves.
Review
Old Wounds follows two transgender teens freshly out of high school as they run away on a road trip out of their small Ohio town toward California in search of acceptance and access to gender-affirming care for Max, whose family refuses to accept his identity. The complication? Erin and Max are exes who haven’t spoken in almost two years. After a sudden text from Max, Erin finds herself leaving her family behind, throwing her phone in a river to avoid being tracked, and heading into the unknown.
The trip takes a dark turn when the two find themselves trapped in a rural Kentucky town, pursued by a cryptid and local men who believe the beast must be fed women to be appeased. The novel somehow manages to be very fun, emotionally devastating, and just scary enough.
Told in alternating perspectives, the story delves into their different struggles with identity and family, while slowly revealing the true reason behind their past breakup. Readers should be aware that the novel deals heavily with gender identity and mental health issues stemming from bigoted family reactions. It uses violence toward transgender individuals as a way to discuss society’s treatment of the community, framing certain tragedies as “murders by society.”
🌑 Literary Analysis: Horror as Metaphor
In Old Wounds, the horror elements—the cryptid and the threatening locals—serve as a visceral metaphor for the real-world dangers faced by transgender youth.
- The Cryptid: The monster hunting in the shadows represents the pervasive, often “faceless” threat of societal transphobia and the fear of being “consumed” by a world that refuses to see you.
- The Locals: The human antagonists represent the active enforcement of traditional gender roles through violence and sacrifice.
- The Road Trip: A classic “Hero’s Journey” motif, where the physical distance traveled mirrors the emotional distance the characters must go to heal their “old wounds.”
🎒 Classroom & Curricular Connections
- ELA (Gothic & Horror Traditions): Compare this modern “Social Horror” to classic Gothic literature.
- Activity Idea: Discuss the “Monster” in literature. Historically, monsters represented “the other.” How does Kisner flip this trope by making the “othered” characters the heroes and the “traditional” society the source of the horror?
- Health & SEL (Mental Health Advocacy): The book addresses self-harm and the impact of family rejection.
- Activity Idea: Use the text to discuss the importance of “Found Family” and support systems. Research statistics on how family acceptance impacts the mental health outcomes of LGBTQ+ youth to provide real-world context for Max and Erin’s journey.
- Social Studies (Geography & Social Landscape):
- Activity Idea: Map the characters’ journey from Ohio to Kentucky to California. Discuss the concept of “Safe States” versus “Restrictive States” regarding healthcare and how geography plays a role in the characters’ sense of safety and agency.
- Creative Writing (Dual Perspectives):
- Activity Idea: Analyze how Kisner differentiates the “voices” of Max and Erin. Have students write a short scene where two characters witness the same event but interpret it differently based on their past shared history.
