Book Review: Into the Gray by Kathleen Palm

Welcome to Nowhere, a huge gray place full of piles of lost things.
And a weird Caretaker who speaks in riddles.
And a giant metal claw in the sky.
And some creepy zombie robots.
And hopefully one stuffed pink kitty.
Ember sets out to search Nowhere and defy Caretaker’s instructions to get that cat back.
Because life is diddly darn wrong. Because her little sister cries. Because black fog clings to them, changing them.
And Ember wants life to be okay again.

Into the Gray is a middle grade horror novel that follows Ember and her family after they move into a creepy (but disappointingly not haunted) house in a new city. It’s supposed to be a new start. Everyone is supposed to be OK.

Then why aren’t they?

If you ask Ember and her little sister, Ash, it’s because Pink Kitty, Ash’s beloved stuffed cat, is gone. The loss of the toy has thrown their whole world into upheaval. Ash won’t stop crying, their moms are at their wits end, and Ember is determined to fix things because that’s the better choice than thinking about her own feelings. Her dogged search lands her in Nowhere, a void where all lost things go, where the enigmatic Caretaker scolds and little mechanical beasts run about adding things to piles.

Nowhere has chosen Ember to return lost things to their rightful owners, a job she doesn’t understand, nor want. She’s only there for Pink Kitty. Finding Kitty is one thing. Getting it home, however, and what that means, is another entirely.

Into the Gray is a heartfelt, delightfully creepy tale that weaves its themes of grief, loss, and not being ok into the shape of a small, pink cat. It’s one so many kids, especially in this age of rapid change and uncertainty, can relate to. Heck, I’m closer to crone than kid and it’s something I related to. The idea that you’re struggling to stay afloat, clinging to a past that’s slipping through your fingers, is hard. It’s Big. Palm handles it with sweet sensitivity, balancing Ember’s need to hold everything together with the mounting, pressing weight of reality and the toughest message of all: sometimes we just have to let go.

This is the kind of story that stays with you. It’s magical, but honest, never talking down to its target audience while inviting readers of all ages to take something from it. The reminder that it’s ok to not be ok, no matter where you are in your life.

Brimming with creativity and a whole lot of heart, I would definitely recommend stepping Into the Gray.

While out of publication at the time of this review, Into the Gray will be available again in April 2025 from Undertaker Books.