Pam Bachorz (b. 1973) is an author of speculative fiction from the United States.

Early life

Pam Bachorz was born in 1973 in

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports tr ...

Career

She has written two speculative fiction novels for

young adults A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...

: ''Candor'', published in 2009, and ''Drought'', published in 2011. ''Candor'', set in the

near future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...

, uses a trope common to horror in speculative fiction, that of a small town "malevolently under some kind of mesmeric or unholy control". A review in ''

Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San ...

'' magazine described the book's fictional setting as one that would produce "Stepford children", children brainwashed into conformity via subliminal messages. Its protagonist is Oscar Banks, whose father founded the town, and operates its system of indoctrination. Banks pretends to be a conformist, while covertly helping residents escape. Banks encounters a new girl in town, Nia, who has a strikingly different personality, forcing him to decide whether to keep her in town to alleviate his boredom, or help her also leave. A review of the volume by ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' called some aspects of the premise "difficult to swallow", but was positive overall, calling it a compelling story. The ''Wired'' review similarly praised Bachorz's ability to keep the plot moving and build suspense, though it described the book as "not terribly deep", and with a larger quotient of romance than expected. An essay in ''

The ALAN Review ALAN, The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents is a teachers organization in the United States, an independent assembly of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Founded in November 1973, ALAN is made up of teachers, authors, libraria ...

'' commented on the varying motivations of the adults in the town; for Oscar Banks's father, brainwashing the children represents an opportunity for wealth, while for the parents, it is the idea of a "perfect family". The book references several works of fiction that feature propaganda or psychological control, including ''

Nineteen Eighty-Four ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' (also stylised as ''1984'') is a dystopian social science fiction novel and cautionary tale written by the English writer George Orwell. It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker & Warburg as Orwell's ninth and fina ...

'' and '' The Clockwork Orange'', while its ending was described as resembling that of '' One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'', which also explores psychological control. Bachorz's second novel, ''Drought'', is also set in a small and coercive community, which the protagonist seeks to escape.

References

External links

Author's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bachorz, Pam 1973 births Living people American speculative fiction artists Women science fiction and fantasy writers