The Lifeguard (novel)

Last updated
The Lifeguard
The Lifeguard (novel).jpg
First edition
Author Richie Tankersley Cusick
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre horror
thriller
Publisher Point Horror
Scholastic Inc.
Publication date
1988
ISBN 9780590432030 (First edition)
OCLC 18031342

The Lifeguard is a 1988 young adult horror thriller novel by Richie Tankersley Cusick. The story follows Kelsey, a teenage girl on a holiday vacation, who begins witnessing the unfolding signs of a serial murderer who drowns their victims in the sea. Written as a standalone novel, The Lifeguard was taken in by Scholastic and published as book #3 under the imprint Point Horror. The book received negative reviews from critics, but in recent decades has become admired for its original first edition cover, which featured a wavy blue-and-orange aquatic title font and an artistic illustration of a creepy male lifeguard on the beach, popular as an example of nostalgic seapunk aesthetics and retro pop culture art.

Contents

Plot

Kelsey Tanner, a young girl who recently grieved the death of her biological father, is given a summer vacation trip to Beverly Island (fictional location) with her mother and her mother's boyfriend, Eric, who has several children roughly Kelsey's age. Upon arriving on the island, Kelsey and her mother are informed by a horrified Eric that his only daughter, Beth, is missing. A search party has been called in to look for the girl after her belongings are found on the beach; meanwhile Kelsey befriends the other teenagers on the island, including Donna, a preppy girl, and Skip, a wealthy and vain boy who works as a lifeguard. Kelsey is put off by Neale, Eric's son and Beth's brother; Neale is cold, aloof and bitter, and Kelsey doesn't trust him.

It is decided by the search party later on that Beth must have drowned while swimming on the beach, although no corpse is ever recovered. Kelsey finds a note hidden in Beth's bedroom that says "I think someone is going to kill me". Kelsey begins to suspect that Beth was murdered, but is hesitant to tell her peers. She fears for her own life after she hears someone in her bedroom while she's alone in Eric's house, and later when she's about to leave the shower; she hears bizarre noises and notices wet footprints on the floor of the shower room, along with seaweed from the beach. Kelsey discovers a deceased body, but when she alerts her peers to it, the body has disappeared, leading the other teens to doubt Kelsey's sincerity. A creepy old man with an eyepatch, Isaac (a resident of Beverly Island off-season), keeps yelling warnings at Kelsey, terrifying her into thinking that he's some kind of a pervert who may have attacked and killed Beth. Kelsey develops romantic feelings for Justin, Eric's shy younger son and the brother of Neale and Beth, although she is also drawn to Neale despite his cold nature. Kelsey breaks into Isaac's houseboat and discovers items belonging to Beth, but before she can gather any of this evidence, a rat startles her and she flees the houseboat. She discovers that Justin left the note in Beth's room and that he has been listening to her telephone conversations. She also finds Isaac’s dead body in the road; as she comes to learn that a series of drownings have occurred on Beverly Island within the same period, Kelsey suspects that Justin is the culprit, along with Donna agreeing to this, though nobody believes the two girls. When it is verified that Justin is the killer, he attempts to attack Kelsey, but she is saved by Neale; she kisses Neale passionately, and the two teens begin a romantic relationship together although Kelsey is aware that Neale will probably soon be her stepbrother if her mother marries Eric, making them an incestuous couple, though not by blood. Kelsey discovers while in the hospital that Beth and Donna are both alive and safe, but that Justin is responsible for the other murders that have occurred around the island. She wonders what will happen in the future now that the truth has come out.

Publication

The Lifeguard is a standalone thriller novel. This being said, it was published under the imprint Point Horror in the late 1980s, making it #3 in the imprint's series. The original first Point Horror edition with its wavy aquatic title font is sought after by collectors, while subsequent editions have had a variety of more modern cover image designs. John Bilancini of 80s Baby described the original first edition cover fondly, saying of it, "if you grew up in the 1980s with access to Scholastic Book Fairs, you know the cover: A stern looking teenage hunk in sunglasses, sitting on a lifeguard stand. Next to the picture is the caption, “Don’t call for help. He may kill you.”" [1] Alissa Burger of Tor called The Lifeguard [2] one of the most iconic symbols of the 1980s teen horror paperback movement in western pop culture, saying, "the cover of Cusick’s The Lifeguard is one of the most iconic of the Point Horror novels, featuring a muscled, blonde, and unsmiling lifeguard sitting atop a lifeguard station, looking over the water and directly out toward the reader. This eponymous lifeguard is ominous and unfeeling, radiating a clear aura of danger. This unsettling image, coupled with the tagline “Don’t call for help. He may just kill you” underscores the reality that in these teen horror novels, it’s best to trust no one, whether in suburban babysitting or on an island vacation. That’s certainly the best strategy for staying alive." [3] More modern variations of the book had silvery, iridescent imagery and more digitized minimalist styles in an attempt to market the book to a 2010s demographic.

In 2021, Book Riot listed The Lifeguard on its "Summertime Scares" reading list; the edition listed had a digitized, radically revamped cover with turquoise text and a shadow silhouette of a lifeguard on it. Book Riot praised the book as a good summer read, saying, "I mean, just look at that cover. That just screams scary beach read right there. It is also a Point Horror book, which was one of the go-tos for YA horror in the early ’90s. This one is about Kelsey, who gets invited to the famous Beverly Island for a fun-filled summer. Too bad for her that someone appears to have other plans for her... As I mentioned, this is a '90s horror, so expect a fair amount of cheese. Still, if you’re looking for an entertaining way to pass a couple of hours, this will do it." [4]

Reception

The Lifeguard received mostly negative reviews from critics. Professional review blog The Devil's Elbow criticized the book's multiple red herring subplots and the sexism in the book's dialogue, as well as the peculiar dynamics of the Tanner Family, including suggested incest and the callousness of Kelsey Tanner's mother when discussing her late husband. [5] Publishers Weekly agreed with this, stating, "so many red herrings are thrown into this plot that it seems almost logical when the killer turns out to be the one man both Kelsey and readers have been led to trust. This relentless procession of gruesome events and false alarms will leave most horror fans more dazed than alarmed." [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>Carrie</i> (novel) 1974 novel by Stephen King

Carrie is a 1974 horror novel, the first by American author Stephen King. Set in Chamberlain, Maine, the plot revolves around Carrie White, a friendless, bullied high-school girl from an abusive religious household who discovers she has telekinetic powers. Feeling guilty for harassing Carrie, Sue Snell invites Carrie to the prom with Tommy Ross, but a humiliating prank during the prom by Chris Hargensen leads to Carrie destroying the town with her powers. The narrative contains fictional documents in approximately chronological order that present multiple perspectives on the prom incident and its perpetrator. Carrie deals with themes of ostracism and revenge, with the opening shower scene and the destruction of Chamberlain being pivotal scenes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meg Tilly</span> American-Canadian actress, writer (born 1960)

Meg Tilly is a Canadian-American actress and writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">France Nuyen</span> French-American actress, model, and psychological counselor (b. 1939)

France Nuyen is a French-American actress, model, and psychological counselor. She is known to film audiences for playing romantic leads in South Pacific (1958), Satan Never Sleeps (1962), and A Girl Named Tamiko, and for playing Ying-Ying St. Clair in The Joy Luck Club (1993). She also originated the title role in the Broadway play The World of Suzie Wong, based on the novel of the same name. She is a Theatre World Award winner and Golden Globe Award nominee.

Patricia Nead Elrod is an American novelist specializing in urban fantasy. She has written in the mystery, romance, paranormal, and historical genres with at least one foray into comedic fantasy. Elrod is also an editor, having worked on several collections for Ace Science Fiction, DAW, Benbella Books, and St. Martin's Griffin. She self-published a signed, limited edition novel under her own imprint, Vampwriter Books.

Richie Tankersley Cusick is an American author. She has written more than 25 novels since her first, Evil on the Bayou (1984). She has also contributed to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer book series with the novelization of the 1992 film, the first two TV episodes, collected under the title of The Harvest, from screenplays by Joss Whedon, and "The Angel Chronicles Vol. 2" based on the teleplays "Halloween" by Carl Ellsworth, "What's My Line, part 1" by Howard Gordon and Marti Noxon and "What's My Line, part 2" by Marti Noxon. Cusick's novel "Walk of the Spirits" was released in April 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camille Meyer</span> American television personality, dancer and actress

Camille Meyer is an American actress, dancer, model, and television personality. She is known for appearing on several seasons of the reality television show, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dana Barron</span> American actress

Dana Barron is an American actress who is best known for her role as the original Audrey Griswold in the 1983 film National Lampoon's Vacation which she reprised in 2003's National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure for NBC television.

<i>Humongous</i> (1982 film) 1982 Canadian film

Humongous is a 1982 Canadian slasher film directed by Paul Lynch, and starring Janet Julian, John Wildman, and David Wallace. The story centers on a group of young adults who become stranded on a deserted island, where they are stalked and murdered by a monstrous assailant.

Point Horror is a series of young adult horror fiction books. The series was most popular among teenaged girls.

<i>Falcon Beach</i> Canadian TV series or program

Falcon Beach is a Canadian TV show, filmed in at Winnipeg and Manitoba and aired on both Canadian and American networks. It first deputed in 2005 as a movie in Canada, but then produced in 2006 as a TV series. It's unique because each episode has two versions: one for Canada with Canadian references and one for the US with American references. The film is set in the fictional resort town of Falcon Beach, Manitoba ; the program is a teen drama similar in style to The O.C. Despite the decline in rates, the show got renewed for a second season, which aired in 2007.

<i>The Ruins</i> (novel) 2006 horror novel by Scott Smith

The Ruins is a 2006 horror novel by American author Scott Smith, set on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. The book fits specifically into the survival horror genre, which is marked by people doing whatever it takes to conquer their environment and stay alive. The novel was released on July 18, 2006 (ISBN 1-4000-4387-5).

<i>National Lampoons Vacation</i> (film series) 1983 American film

National Lampoon's Vacation film series is a comedy film series initially based on John Hughes' short story "Vacation '58" that was originally published by National Lampoon magazine. The series is distributed by Warner Bros. and consists of five main films, two of which are not sponsored by National Lampoon, and one spin-off. In recent years, the series has been the inspiration for various advertising campaigns featuring some of the original cast members. The series portrays the misadventures of the Griswold family, whose attempts to enjoy vacations and holidays are plagued with continual disasters and strangely embarrassing predicaments.

<i>Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days</i> (novel) 2009 book by Jeff Kinney

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days is a novel written by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney, and is the fourth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. It was released on October 12, 2009, in the USA and October 13, 2009, in Canada. The film, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, released on August 3, 2012, was based on the book and its predecessor, The Last Straw. It follows the narrator, Greg Heffley, on his summer break between seventh and eighth-grade.

Beth Bernobich is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. She also goes by the pen name Claire O'Dell. She was born in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania in 1959. Her first novel, Passion Play was published by Tor Books in October 2010, and won the Romantic Times 2010 Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Epic Fantasy. Her novel, A Study in Honor was published by Harper Voyager in July 2018 and won the 2019 Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Mystery.

<i>Among Others</i> 2011 novel by Jo Walton

Among Others is a 2011 fantasy novel written by Welsh-Canadian writer Jo Walton, published originally by Tor Books. It is published in the UK by Corsair. It won the 2012 Nebula Award for Best Novel, the Hugo Award for Best Novel and the British Fantasy Award, and was a nominee for the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel.

<i>Joyland</i> (King novel) 2013 novel by Stephen King

Joyland is a novel by American writer Stephen King, published in 2013 by Hard Case Crime. It is King's second book for the imprint, following The Colorado Kid (2005). The first edition was released only in paperback, with the cover art created by Robert McGinnis and Glen Orbik. A limited hardcover edition followed a week later. The novel was nominated for the 2014 Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original.

Adam Nevill is an English writer of supernatural horror, known for his book The Ritual. Prior to becoming a full-time author, Nevill worked as an editor.

<i>The Cabin at the End of the World</i> 2018 novel by Paul Tremblay

The Cabin at the End of the World is a 2018 horror novel by American writer Paul Tremblay. The novel won the Horror Writers Association's Bram Stoker Award for Novel in 2019. It was adapted into the 2023 film Knock at the Cabin by director M. Night Shyamalan.

Catriona Ward is an American and British horror novelist.

References

  1. ↑ Bilancini, John (18 November 2019). "The Lifeguard". eightiesbaby.net. 80s Baby. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  2. ↑ Allen, David. "American Lifeguard Association | Lifeguard Training Certification, Classes". americanlifeguard.com. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  3. ↑ Burger, Alissa (22 September 2021). "The '90s Teen Horror Landscape: The Babysitter and The Lifeguard". www.tor.com. Tor. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  4. ↑ Hinton, P.N. (22 July 2021). "Summertime Scares: Horror Reads for Summer". bookriot.com. Book Riot. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  5. ↑ "Recap #9: The Lifeguard by Richie Tankersley Cusick". www.pointhorror.com. The Devil's Elbow. 4 August 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  6. ↑ "The Lifeguard". www.publishersweekly.com. Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.