The Retreat

Helen Vivienne Fletcher’s 'The Retreat' is a gripping young adult novel that explores how grief and fear can distort the human need for safety. After the death of his mother and sister, Finn’s father takes them to an isolated community known as The Retreat, ruled by the authoritarian figure of Mother. What is promised as a sanctuary quickly reveals itself as a place of control, where safety is obsession and freedom is forbidden.

Fletcher’s strength lies in her characterisation. Finn is a grounded and perceptive narrator, torn between loyalty to his grieving father and his growing unease about their new life. His friendship with Aria, a sheltered girl raised within The Retreat, adds both tenderness and tension. Through her innocence, Fletcher exposes how fear-driven protection can become as harmful as the dangers it claims to prevent.

The novel’s world feels unnervingly plausible. Fletcher reflects the modern tendency to over-sanitise and over-protect, showing how a desire for absolute security can evolve into confinement. Her writing is vivid and rhythmic, shaped by her background as a poet and playwright. The pacing balances quiet reflection with mounting suspense, creating an atmosphere of unease that builds steadily to the climax.

Ultimately, 'The Retreat' is more than a thriller. It’s a meditation on control, courage and the cost of safety. Fletcher captures the emotional aftermath of trauma with empathy and insight, delivering a story that is as thought-provoking as it is heart-pounding. This is a very impressive contemporary New Zealand young adult fiction.