Twelve-year-old Bobby Dalton doesn’t want to grow up. All his life, he has relied on the imaginary games of childhood with his best friends Joe and Max to get him through the tough times. But this all changes when his Seventh-Grade class buries a time capsule to commemorate the end of the 1980s. Now Bobby is being haunted by visions: ghostly doppelgangers of himself, his friends, and others. He calls them “déjà view.” Are these visions real, or has his imagination finally gotten away from him? And if they’re real, what do they want? Bobby needs to figure this all out to survive his childhood…and his life. From the author of the award-winning Danger Peak, Déjà View is a darkly funny coming-of-age dramedy with a sci-fi twist, cranked up to eleven. But even more, it’s at once a pulse-pounding thrill ride and a haunting portrait of paranoia, mental illness, and the unbearable sadness of growing up.
To crack the spine of Déjà View is to unearth a time capsule filled with one’s own 1980s childhood. Perone’s novel earnestly depicts both the pop-culture spectacle of the decade and the joy and anxiety of coming of age during that era. Filled with nostalgia, emotion, and unpredictable twists, Déjà View is sure to delight the most sardonic of ‘80s kids.
—Will Padilla, host of 1980s Now, a Top 200 TV and Film podcast
A slow-burn, time-warped Atari-and-MTV-era nightmare with heaps of heart… a science-fiction thriller with a terrifying conclusion reminiscent of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Throughout, though, Déjà View is attentive to character and the everyday impact of the fantastic on real lives, with engaging prose and sharp, funny dialogue.
—Publisher’s Weekly
Evocative, well-written, and emotionally stirring. Perone delves into the typical struggles of a middle schooler, from making friends to grappling with topics like mental health issues, anxiety, home life, tormenting, and childhood distress. This is an affecting exploration of childhood angst.
—The Prairies Book Review
Perone’s narrations are strikingly authentic. The bullying, body insecurity, and drifting of childhood friendships are things that most readers will be able to identify with, and this helps make Bobby a sympathetic narrator you want to root for in this bittersweet story about a kid who is struggling on the cusp between childhood and adulthood.
—Reader Views
Déjà View now available on Barnes & Noble and Amazon:
Michael Thomas Perone 