Hideout
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Hideout by Watt Key is a middle grade adventure with an element of spook as the main character travels the bayou. Sam is on summer break and is having a very difficult time with the way the school year ended. Relatively new to the area for about a year, he cannot come to grips with why he was beaten mercilessly by two bullies at school who were clearly aiming for his friend Grover as their target. Unfortunately, as a result of this event, Sam is trying to avoid Grover as he believes his friendship with him is what caused him to be a victim of the bullies.
An easy escape for Sam is the new boat his parents bought him for his twelfth birthday. In recent news an abandoned boat with blood on it has been found, and search and rescue boats are patrolling certain areas in search for a body. In an attempt to prove to himself that he is brave, Sam intends to find the missing body. It is in his search that he actually finds a boy his same age named Davey among the ruins of old fishing camps. Davey is alone, waiting for his brother and father to arrive; however, it has been a week thus far with little to eat and drink.
It is here that Sam begins to hide secrets, not only of his exploration in an area of the bayou his parents have not approved of, but his keeping of Davey’s secrets and whereabouts. Sam even lies to his parents that he is with Grover, when in fact he is out in the woods far away and without anyone’s knowledge of where he is. Eventually, Davey’s brother does appear, but he is not a friendly guy - in fact he has robbed a fish market and is growing Marijuana in a nearby area. Sam’s involvement gets him far more than he bargained for.
This novel ultimately ends well, but there is a lot of drama as Sam is trying to emotionally process trauma, his friendships with Grover and Davey, and navigating who he thinks he is or who he should be. While this novel is recommended ages 10-13, I would place it more at 12/13+. There is profanity in the book, and some of the issues presented could be a bit much for younger readers. Additionally, the main characters themselves are all twelve years old. One of the great aspects of this story is that despite the trouble Sam gets himself in, the novel portrays strong parental influences from his mother and father who clearly have a healthy, loving relationship. Also, however it may be, there is an element of a moral compass as Sam attends church with his mother and father on a regular basis.
Now, to specific details in the novel.
Profanity: There is a bit of profanity in this book, and while I don’t care for profanity to be in books for adolescent readers, its inclusion in this book is not unfounded. There are few instances where Sam and Grover use profanity as they confront each other in their hurt and anger. Otherwise, it is primarily used by the older bullies and nefarious characters in the story.
Dumbass first appears on page 19 and is used a few more times throughout - page 135 and 217 are one of a few other uses.
Crap appears several times throughout - a few times on page 123 as Sam and Grover argue. Slade and his friends use profanity in a few of their interactions - Crap on page 134, 136, 171, and many more.
Ass appears on page 123, and 207.
“Christ” is used in a profane way on page 50.
“What the hell were you thinking, Sam?” (51).
Creepy/Spooky descriptions:
“I looked down beside the boat, examining the dark-colored depths. I thought about the corpse rising up from the bottom, bloated and yellowish-looking like I’d seen in a horror movie” (7).
Later in the story, Sam and another character, Jesse, trip over a dead body in the woods. Come to determine later, the dead body is Davey’s father who was on his way to find him but had a heart attack.
In chapter 21 Davey shares with Sam the verbal and physical abuse he faced at his prior foster home. The father in that situation made sure that the physical abuse occurred in places that could not be seen. Davey has damaged eyesight as a result of this abuse. He is partially the reason he is hesitant to go anywhere. He is fearful of ending up in that same situation.
Davey describes seeing his dead mother in her coffin. He describes it “like their spirit got sucked away” (106).
Aspects of Sam’s internal struggle:
On page 22 he is contemplating his relationship with Grover and the events that took place when they were beaten and hospitalized. Sam says, “And with friends like Grover, I figured, I’d always be a loser.”
On page 111 Sam reveals why he is trying to be brave and cool, because there are things he doesn’t like about himself. Davey then reveals that his father stabbed a man and that is the reason he was in jail.
Quotes/ family influence:
“In spite of Dad’s restlessness in church, he rarely missed service. He knew attending as a family meant a lot to Mom, and it was obvious he just did for her–and he did the best he could with it. Dad was all about people doing their duty and tending to their responsibilities, and church was one of his” (44).
Grover’s parents are pretty much absent throughout the entire story. His mother is away traveling, his father is a doctor and works at a local hospital, leaving Grover to be looked after by their housekeeper Natalia. Even when Grover wrecks his boat, his father isn’t present and sends another doctor to tend to him. In the end, Grover reveals that his parents are getting divorced. Grover has everything materially that a child could want, but it is clear that he wants connection, family, and friends. At one point there is a mention of possibly considering suicide after his fight with Sam, the boating accident, and the absenteeism of his parents. However, Sam’s parents encourage him to visit Grover despite their fight, and it is this parental influence and encouragement that helps to restore Grover and Sam’s relationship.
“If you hadn’t come over here today, I might have done something else stupid.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean just what your dad said: sometimes you think a person doesn’t want your help, but they do” (176).
Sam, wondering about his relationship with his father states, “Whenever I was alone with him I wondered what he thought about me, if he thought about me much at all. I felt like something he just hauled around with him and tried to like. Like something he just had to attend to out of a sense of duty” (47). Fortunately, later in the story, Sam’s father, Roger, apologizes to Sam for how busy he has been with work and that he wants to spend more time with Sam and that he is committed to doing that. When his father later finds out what Sam had been up to, he is so happy he is safe, and it is clear to the reader and Sam how much his father has always cared for him.
“I couldn’t ask for a better son. I should tell you that more often” (156).
“He [Grover] might need you more than ever now. Just because a person won’t ask for help doesn't mean you shouldn’t give it to him. Being a man isn’t about winning fights and carrying guns. It’s about helping people however you can, no matter what. That’s why I do what I do. And I can tell you, I didn’t figure it out until I was much older than you” (167-168).
“In that moment, we were all witness to the dark truth that no matter where you are, how safe you feel, there are sometimes bad people looking for an opportunity to do bad things. And it’s not all about winning against them; it’s about being brave and not losing against yourself” (311).
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. There are many good themes and messages as Sam is working through some tough emotional and physical trauma. Sam’s family is also a strong family that is a foil to the one Grover and Davey experience. Additionally, there is strong male leadership and influences in this novel that combat the negative ones presented in the antagonists. Despite the profanity and some of the dark imagery, I think this novel could appeal to many young adult readers and presents positive messages making it worthy of a read.
