(Image courtesy of Goodreads. “Terror and racial injustice soak the pages of ‘The Reformatory’.”)
Rick Dalton
Connector Staff
“The Reformatory” is a 2023 novel by Tananarive Due. The story is a tribute to her great-uncle, Robert Stephens, who was killed in 1937 at the Dozier School for Boys, located in the Florida Panhandle. Due combines horror and historical fiction to create a gripping novel about two siblings that battle racial injustice in a rural, segregated Southern town.
The novel is set in the fictional town of Gracetown, Florida in 1950. It follows 12-year-old Robert and 17-year-old Gloria Stephens. Their mother recently died, and their father was chased out of town by false rape allegations after he helped black workers unionize and register to vote. Robert can sense his mother’s ghostly presence. Gloria had to drop out of school and work for a local family to support Robert and herself. The perspective shifts between Robert and Gloria throughout the novel.
Trouble begins when Robert kicks a white teenage boy over unwanted advances to Gloria. The boy’s father boxes Robert’s ear and reports him to the police. Robert is swiftly sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, which has a reputation for arbitrary sentence extensions and vicious punishments. Robert could actually be held until he turns 21, if he can live that long. While Robert struggles to survive, Gloria works to find a lawyer that can help free her brother before he meets a grim fate.
Early in his imprisonment, Robert passes by the site of a fire that claimed the lives of 25 boys in 1920. Robert can feel the flames, see the faces, and hear the screams of the boys that died. This is observed by a guard, who cautions Robert, “Don’t listen to them haints… Or you’ll be a haint too.” Haints are spirits that can only be seen by the children of Gracetown, and Robert is especially adept at sensing them. Robert befriends Redbone and Blue, a pair of fellow inmates. They inform Robert of the gruesome violence at the Reformatory, about how some boys go missing and how runners are chased down with dogs. There is little hope at the Gracetown School for Boys.
Robert’s story is filled with terror. The sadistic Warden Haddock takes great pleasure in violently whipping boys in the Funhouse over minor infractions, and even harsher punishments exist if Haddock feels especially vicious. Robert does his best to steer clear of the Warden, but that proves impossible. Robert’s journey is thrilling, terrifying, and filled with constant tension. Like Robert, Gloria faces daily threats of violence. Being “free” in Gracetown proves to be just as horrifying as being locked up.
It is not just the Reformatory that has a history of violence. Gloria recalls the words of her mother: “Florida’s soil is soaked with so much blood, it’s a wonder the droplets don’t seep between your toes with every step.” Most of the white residents of Gracetown are enraged that Gloria’s father has not been caught and falsely charged with rape, so Gloria is under attack. The Stephens family have previously been victims of arson, so Gloria rightfully fears for her safety. With the help of family friends, Gloria works to find a lawyer that might be able to save Robert.
Gloria contacts the NAACP, which brings some real historical figures into the story. While not seen, lawyer and future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall is spoken of with reverence. A reference is made to the lynching of Willie James Howard. Gloria meets the soon to be famous Ruby McCollum, as well as civil rights leaders Harry and Harriette Moore. Gloria is clairvoyant and can see the grim fate ahead for these historic figures. Her story highlights the many atrocities in North Florida during the early days of the civil rights movement. Gloria faces constant threats of abuse and violence as she tries to survive long enough to free Robert and reunite with their father.
The novel moves at a rapid pace and rarely lets up. It reads like a thriller, with constant action and ever rising stakes. Robert and Gloria’s stories are told side by side, each escalating in tension as they speed toward the finish. The language is bleak, honest, and powerful. Robert and Gloria are excellent protagonists; they are smart, brave and quick-witted. The subject matter is very difficult, but stories like “The Reformatory” are incredibly important to remind people of the terrible history of segregation.
“The Reformatory” is an unforgettable tale of racial injustice. It is often deeply unsettling, but it is very hard to put down. Tananarive Due expertly combines horror with historical fiction. Fans of both genres should strongly consider her novel.
Grade: A
