Customer Reviews

Project 17

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4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Derik is an underachiever with a reputation for breaking hearts. High school is almost over, and he wants to achieve something before being roped into his family's business after graduation. Deciding to make a film about the abandoned mental institution on the hill, he assembles a group of classmates to join him on an overnight stay. Liza is an overachiever looking to beef up her resume. Mimi is an odd girl who only wears black. Chet is the class clown. Greta and Tony are theater geeks.

Not knowing what to expect of the hospital, or each other, the characters get sucked into a mystery involving one of the former inmates and the number 17. Their night in the hospital becomes a sort of spooky scavenger hunt as they piece together the fragments of a shattered life that ended at the hospital years ago. Trying to assuage the spirits of the place while facing down their own demons, these six teens will emerge from their night at the hospital changed forever.

Danvers State Hospital, where the book is set, is a real place located in Danvers, MA. Built in 1878, the hospital was operational for over 100 years until its closure in 1992. Since then, most of the hospital structures have been torn down to make way for residential redevelopment. The unusual architecture of the building, a central structure with wings radiating out on each side "like the wings of a bat," was built according to the plans of psychiatrist Thomas Story Kirkbridge. The staggered wings, a diagram of which Laurie Faria Stolarz includes in her book, were intended to give patients access to light and air. The design was meant to be curative, but like many of the other treatments practiced at Danvers State Hospital --- including the trans-orbital lobotomy --- it has become widely regarded as a monstrosity.

Stolarz has clearly mined what little information is available on Danvers State, including websites and films. PROJECT 17 owes a great deal to Brad Anderson's horror movie Session 9, which was filmed in the ruins of the hospital shortly before its demolition. It's strange to think that one of the more complete visual records of the place is Anderson's film, which is an atmospheric horror movie about an asbestos removal team crumbling beneath the pressures of the environment and their own psyches.

In addition to including her own atmospherics of an abandoned hospital (curiously well furnished with lots of files and personal effects lying around in a horrific violation of today's medical privacy laws), Stolarz touches on the history of the place and some of its more unthinkable practices. She discusses a form of hydrotherapy in which patients were restrained to hours of sitting in tubs of cold water, and covers the aforementioned trans-orbital lobotomy in which a thin, sharp instrument was inserted through the tear duct to sever the connections between the frontal lobes and the rest of the brain. Used as a treatment for the more disturbed or agitated patients, the resulting personality and behavioral changes have come to be considered intentional and criminal brain damage.

PROJECT 17 fits into the victim's genre of mental institution narratives, best known through books like ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, THE BELL JAR and GIRL, INTERRUPTED. The main "victim" in the book is Christine, a 17-year-old foster child who has been sent to Danvers for an unspecified mental illness. The classmates piece together her story with the help of a journal they discover in an old mattress and with the clues she left behind. It is notable that Christine is a female and a foster child. Disempowered, unwanted people were the most likely to be checked into institutions at the first sign of behavioral disorders. Later, one of the characters reveals that her own grandmother was warehoused at Danvers for her severe alcoholism.

Although mental institutions have come to be viewed as sadistic prisons in which many innocent people have been caught and experimented upon, the institutional system emerged as a result of the work of the great social reformer Dorothea Dix. Horrified by the treatment of the insane, who were often housed in prisons or basements, beaten and starved, Dix wrote about their plight and petitioned Congress to consider new methods of care and treatment. Much of the 19th and 20th century treatments of the mentally ill is the result of her work.

Since then, amazing progress has been made in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. While there are still operational institutions, a lot of the disorders that would've once landed people in institutions are now treated with medicines, much gentler and more effective than the sedatives once used to control patients. But the pervasive horror and fascination with mental institutions and the care and treatment of the mentally ill stem from the fact that we still know so little about the human mind. What treatments used today will seem as barbaric and criminal as the trans-orbital lobotomy? Which of us, given a different time or situation, would have been locked behind the institution doors?

PROJECT 17 touches on all these issues, but it is primarily a spooky read narrated in the voices of each of the different characters. It blends the supernatural adventure of Stolarz's BLUE IS FOR NIGHTMARES COLLECTION with the poignant realism of BLEED. It is of particular interest to anyone interested in Danvers State Hospital or the history of mental institutions in the United States.

--- Reviewed by Sarah A. Wood

I have a number of Stolarz' novels around here someplace, but have never got around to reading them, but, while browsing on Amazon I saw that she had a new novel out, and while looking at its product description I thought that it looked very interesting, and I made a rare impulse buy. As I liked haunted house stories, I looked forward to receiving and reading it. I was to be disappointed however, that this novel is published by a Disney subsidiary should have been a clue, one that I blithely ignored to my regret.

"Project 17" starts out with trying-to-reform loser Derik seeing that making a short film for a local news program might be his one shot at getting out of what he sees as a dead-end future of working for and being a future owner of his parents family style restaurant. His idea for his short film is to do some sort reality based project, based on the soon to be demolished Danvers State Hospital, a sanitarium high atop Hawthorne Hill, which has been long rumored to be haunted, and once was the home of the state's sadistically treated inmates, many of whom died while suffering through their cruel and inhuman psychiatric treatments. Derik plans on using some of his freelance commercial filmmaker Uncle's film equipment, and five of his fellow high school acquaintances, deliberately freezing out his friends whom he fears wouldn't take his project seriously, to make his film.

To do this Derik and his crew/actors have to sneak into the sanitarium at night while avoiding the guards. "Project 17" then begins to ping-pong between six separate characters; Derik the desperate filmmaker, Mimi the goth girl, Greta the ambitious wannabee actress, Tony, her boyfriend, Liza, the overachiever hoping to pad her résumé, and Chet, class clown and abused child. As the ping-ponging occurs, each character begins to reveal his or her own agenda and their hopes what this short film will do for them, from Chet's wanting to escape his drunken father to Greta hoping for a kick-start to her career. The potentially best character though is the misunderstood Mimi, who is more interested in forging her own identity, and who is going to Danvers State to find out some information about her own haunted and lost past.

The good stuff in this novel is that Stolarz has the talent to potentially create some potentially interesting characters. Unfortunately she undercuts her character building by devoting micro-short chapters to each character on a constant and revolving basis, which means unfortunately just as we start to get into a character's head, Stolarz undercuts her own efforts by then quickly switching to another character. The end result of all of this is that by switching from one character to another on a constant basis, none of Stolarz' characters ever get as developed as they could have been. Especially tragic is the character of Mimi, who has the most interesting backstory in the novel to tell. Unfortunately, her character seems constantly inconsistent as she seems moody and sympathetic in the first person, but something of a jokester and airhead latter on in as seen through other character's eyes.

Stolarz is also good at build atmosphere. Danvers State is certainly a creepy place, and Stolarz does a good job at portraying this, but after a hundred or so pages of atmosphere it becomes obvious that she is going to do very little with it. Yes, Danvers State is haunted, and only Mimi seems to really be in tune with the ghost, but other than portraying the sanitarium's creepy atmosphere, the occasional quick glimpse of something in the shadows, and the odd whisper in the dark, the whole ghost thing begins to seem like a lot of wasted effort.

It's quite clear that this novel is way too long for the underdeveloped story that Stolarz spins, and "Project 17" would have worked better if it were a hundred or more pages shorter, and the first-person multi-perspective view done away with. It may be that writing a novel for a Disney media-spinoff has caused Stolarz not to be able to take this haunted house novel to the next level that a novel like this should have been taken. It's also obvious that "Project 17" would have worked better as a movie where the atmosphere that she creates would have worked better, in fact, if anything, "Project 17" more often than not reads like a novelization of a movie or a failed movie project.

Stolarz also saddles the novel with two separate endings. The first that wraps up the ghost story, which in and of itself is particularly poignant, even if Stolarz doesn't do a particularly good job in telling it, and we do learn the meaning of the term Project 17. The second ending is a way too long and totally unnecessarily "and this is what happened to all of the characters after their night at Hawthorn House" type of thing, all of which can be skipped by the reader.

"Project 17" has promise, the initial mystery and ending are worthwhile, but they are too little and too late to really save this too long, too fragmented, and too bland ghost story. I hope that the previous books that I have purchased by her are better than this.

This Author has once again outdone herself. Project 17 is an amazing book that doesnt suffer from the boring Cliche of many supernatural movies that share the same theme.
The story starts out with the character of Derik, a teen with a reputation as a heartbreaker, who is intrigued by the old saniterium in his town. Its rumors to be haunted prompt him to spend one night in the place before it gets town down. His hopes are to win a video contest so that he might persue a career in video instead of being stuck to his parents resturant. With the help of some classmates, the six teens sneak in one night armed with a video camera and the dream of catching a ghost on film. Little do they know what they are dealing with
I loved this story for one main reason. And that is the fact that its not full of sex and gore like most of these stories. All these kids are basically good and dont go in on a dare or for a party. They go simply to make a film. Theres no gore either, its more of suspense, knowing theres a ghost and seeing it lead up to all the ghostly encounters. This book has exceeded all my expectations and everyone who likes the paranormal and a little romance should read this.

Haunted house stories? I love `em. I think every kid grew up in some town where a house or a building was supposed to be haunted. You just don't quite have a childhood without the spooky stuff. Even when we're grown, we tend to have an affinity for all things supernatural. Perhaps most people like the occasions they're entertained by "scary" stories to be more sophisticated. But it's always the willingness to believe in the macabre that influences the readers/watchers.

Laurie Faria Stolarz's novel for young adults, Project 17, is a mixed bag. I enjoyed it, but I struggled with it at the same time. I kept getting jarred throughout the book.

To begin with, the cover and the back copy lead the reader to believe this is going to be one of those absolutely terrifying reads that will keep you nailed to the chair (with the light on) till you turn the last page. And maybe still be afraid to go into the dark or tiptoe quietly off to bed. Although there are some genuinely creepy parts of the book that slid a little too uncomfortably under the skin, the read wasn't quite horrifying or gripping because of suspense. I liked the characters and their problems well enough to keep reading just for that alone. Which is, I know, a backhanded compliment.

As noted, the characters in the book are compelling enough. They run the gamut of teen problems: the too-perfect child that really doesn't know herself, the kid who has the abusive alcoholic for a parent, the kid who has everything in high school but is going to be totally lost in the real world, the Goth girl who does everything she can to freak everyone else out, and the young couple so into each other and themselves that they can't see anyone else.

However, each of these characters takes over various chapters and their stories are relayed in the first person point of view. EVERYBODY says I. That's confusing, especially when the voices all sound the same and I had to keep track of how other people around them reacted to them to know who they were. There was even one chapter that has the viewpoint character referred to in the third person and the author and editors missed it. I like first person narratives, but I prefer it to be one voice, or mixed in with other third person perspectives so it's not as confusing.

Also, Project 17 is listed as a YA novel and is found on teen bookshelves in the libraries. That's where I got my copy. But it's books like this that make me wish there was another rating for the teen department, something that underscores the ADULT part of the designation. This one's full of harsh language. I know from experience that this is how a lot of teens talk when they're not around adults, so I think the author represented the characters fairly, but there should be a way to let readers know what they're getting into. Some kids might get offended or embarrassed about the language, and other kids might get grounded by their parents for checking out a "bad" book when they didn't know what it was. I've seen it happen.

The book is a quick, easy read with just enough depth and mystery to keep me turning the pages. I was pretty satisfied with how everything turned out for the characters because I was invested in them. However, I felt the overall effort was decidedly short on creepiness after the buildup on the cover and description of the abandoned mental hospital in the summary.

Project 17 is a ghost story. It's about these high school students who appear to have nothing in common, but all come together to make a movie in an abandoned mental institute that is scheduled to be knocked down. The mental institution sits high atop a hill in Danvers, MA and has a long history of patient abuse and mistreatment. People view the place as being haunted because so many people died there. Derick, a bad boy 'playa' who knows he's going to be stuck taking over his parent's diner once he graduates, decides to enter a film contest as his final hope of escaping the life he's stuck in. He recruits five other students to be in his film, all of whom have their own reasons for doing it. They go in a little frightened, but once the night is over, their lives are forever changed.

The story is told from the different perspectives of the teens with each getting their own backstory. I have to say that it was a bit of a slow start, but once the kids went into the mental institute, I was hooked. The descriptions alone were eerie, creepy, and at times, downright scary. You can feel the atmosphere change from Derick's first step into Danvers State Hospital. Everything becomes more thrilling and more mysterious. It was an exquisitely creepy thrill-ride.

Laurie Faria Stolarz truly knows how to speak teenager. She does an excellent job creating these characters that have such distinct voices and personalities. There is definitely a sort of Breakfast Club feel to everything, but it's not overdone at all. Each character has a purpose, even if it's minimal, and they each add an emotional aspect that makes the story that much better.

Project 17 is a page-turner. Once I started reading it I couldn't stop until I was done at one in the morning. Even after I was done I had to keep the light on for a little longer. Most of the events in this book aren't openly scary like a crazy axe murderer chasing everyone around. It's more of a subtle creepy, so that you can almost feel someone unseen behind you, breathing down your neck. That, in my opinion is, much scarier because your never really quite sure what to expect. This book will keep you up, reading wide eyed, late into the night.

I loved this book! i finished it in two sittings, i could not put it down! It starts off with Derik, then transitions to the point of views of the other five students. Mimi - a goth girl who isnt moody or drugged out or likes what stereotypicly is expect of goths. Chet - the clown with a dark secret. Liza - the perfect, modelesque girl whos goal is to become a doctor. Greta (AKA Ashley) and Tony - two theatre/drama performers and an item.

I enjoyed seeing everything from the others POVs, the story flowed very well when they transitioned to another POV picking right up where the other left off, it was stylized well. During the book youll really get to know the personalities of the cast. Depending on your preferences you will be siding with one more then the other, I personally liked Mimi the best and Liz the least.

The setting of the book is dark, dreary and with the occasional smarmy quip (curtosy of Chet mostly). It really sets the mood and makes the mental hospital all the more creepy. The book has its mushy cliche themes (everyone ends up with someone..) but that can be overlooked even if it was predictable.
If you pay attention closely you can find a hidden morale to the story: Things (nor people) are what they seem on the outside or what you have heard of them.

The cover for Project 17 depicts Derik and i am guessing Liz descending into the hospital and the monotone black/blues give it a ghostly feel, which is fitting. If you find this book at your local library or bookstore i recomend you check it out, if you like ghost stories or just a light read youll like this one.

To say I devoured this book is an understatement. I think I literally read all 248 pages in a matter of hours... in one sitting. I just could NOT put this book down.

The reader is first introduced to Derik, a kid who does not have much of a future going for him- he has low grades in school, may be forced to run the family diner, and is know as Derik LaPlaya. He is convinced his life has a very bleak outlook for him. In a last hope effort, he decides to put all his remaining hopes on a film contest. In order to make his film stand out, he recruits 5 other teens in the hopes of making a Real World type documentary set in a mental institution, which is set to be torn down in a matter of days. This "breakfast club" group soon realizes that things are not as they seem as they find a patient's journal, and dig deeper into the institution's secrets.

What I liked: I LOVED that this book was told in alternating points of view, and it was done seamlessly. There is nothing that puts me off worse than a book that feels choppy due to this writing method. The characters feel like real teenagers - they are relatable, have depth to them, and talk and act like real teens. But what I think I loved most about this book was the journal entries. It really gives you a feel for what a day in mental institutions could be like. You can tell that the author did her research with this book, and I think it paid off.

What I did not like: The only real complaint I have about the book is Chet. He is used as comic relief, and for the most part does a really good job. But in the first half of the book, he is continuously playing pranks and after the second one, I was tired of them. It started to kinda feel like filler.


Overall, it was an interesting read that I had my doubts about going into, but I am so glad that I gave this book a try. (FYI-- There are some creepy parts so you may not want to read this book at night. Personally, I thought it was more suspenseful than scary.) I really recommend it. It is funny, has an interesting back story, and a little heartbreaking.

Laurie Faria Stolarz first came to my attention in 2007, when PROJECT 17 was first published. I enjoy reading about weird shiz, and an abandoned mental institution set for upcoming demolition definitely counts as such, so I immediately added it to my wishlist. Then I tracked down the author's Stacey Brown series, and thoroughly enjoyed it. (Minus the graphic novel, BLACK IS FOR BEGINNINGS - it's more character-driven than plot-oriented.)

Only recently did I manage to buy PROJECT 17. Set in the same Stolarzverse as BLEED, a collection of connected short stories I read during the past year, six teens embark on making a reality film.

Derik LaPointe's parents are grooming him to take over running the family's diner, but he'd rather become a videographer. Entering this reality film-making contest should help him on his way. Liza Miller is too perfect to connect with, so readers may find her off-putting. Tony Cassis doesn't really have a plot, but he's tacked onto Greta Barbosa's. An actress not getting the lead roles she wants, Greta's time during the filming goes deep inside an unexpected character.

Chet will ring familiar with the author's fans; he's like Amber and PJ from the Stacey Brown series. But instead of being just the designated comic relief, Chet has depth - we learn why he mucks around so much, and it's a truth that really strikes a chord.

But Mimi's journey is the one most connected with the institution, and comes to a heartbreaking conclusion.

The abandoned mental institution drew me to this novel, and its history is definitely the highlight. There are hints at a haunting, but I brushed them aside and enjoyed the story for what it is: not really about the teens who film it, rather the institution's former inhabitants. Suspension of disbelief is required to tolerate the happenstances of the therapy and patients' things still being left around, even though it closed in 1992.

I would've loved to learn more about the therapies and patients, but as it is PROJECT 17 packs a mighty emotional, unforgettable punch.

When I received Project 17 in the mail this week, I diverted from my current read to dive right in. I have Halloween fever, and was promised some chilling, supernatural thrills from this book by Laurie Faria Stolarz, YA writer best known for Blue is for Nightmares. The back cover even promised a story that is "Blair Witch meets The Breakfast Club," which sounded pretty good to me.

It's a fair comparison. But unfortunately, the book just didn't pack the shiver-inspiring horror I was looking for. It may give goosebumps to younger YA readers (I'm thinking 11-14 year olds), but any older teen or adult reader who considers themselves a horror junkie will probably be a little disappointed by this rather tame ghost hunting tale.

The story premise is a good one: six clique-crossing teens embark on a night of reality TV making in the notorious Danvers State Mental Hospital. This location is truly one of the most haunted in the U.S., and has been explored by TV shows like Ghost Hunters and memorialized by movies such as Session 9 -- so, there's atmosphere a-plenty, and lots of potential for real scares. Props to Stolarz for chosing a real location with real history.

Stolarz also does a great job of drawing realistic teen characters that run the gamut of high school stereotypes. Director Derik is the womanizing slacker bent on winning an MTV reality show internship to get out of his dead-end future working in his parents diner. Mimi is the goth chick with a hidden agenda. Liza is the school valedictorian looking for a last-ditched extracurricular activity to boost her Ivy League college application. Tony and Greta are wannabe actors looking for a shot at being discovered. Chet is the goofy sidekick written to provide comic relief. Stolarz writes the story in chapters that alternate viewpoints between these six characters, and does a great job of establishing a unique voice for each of her main players.

Of course, while in the mental hospital, the teens learn about themselves and eachother. It's very after school special at times, honestly. However, my biggest problem with the book was the pat ending. Everything gets tied up in a neat little bow. I guess in a different medium -- say, cinema -- everyone would have died a la The House on Haunted Hill. This ending is more appropriate to the young reader audience, I guess. But it was still a little too clean and simple for my taste.

The book is not a bad read, I think I just had too high of expectations going in. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the paranormal, or for middle school readers just beginning to cut their teeth on horror. Parents of children in this age group should know that while the "horrors" are pretty gentle (no gore, mostly psychological thrills) there is a fair amount of realistic teen language used, including cursing.