The Hidden Secret (Five Survive)

                                                         The Hidden Secret (Five Survive)

Five Survive is a chilling thriller novel by Holly Jackson, the author of the well known book A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. These books both focus on the “murder mystery” aspect, and provide a feeling of suspense. 

The story begins by displaying a blueprint of an RV, and a map showing the distance between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Gulf Shores, Alabama. The first chapter introduces the story’s main group of characters. Red is the soft spoken, reserved protagonist. Red has a concerning history involving her mother’s death, which she blames herself for. Red’s best friend, Maddy is an outgoing character, who clearly cares for Red, although Red sometimes disregards it. Oliver is Maddy’s older brother. Through Red’s perception of him, he is bossy, and a natural leader. However, these characteristics sometimes result in disputes between the friends throughout the story. Reyna is Oliver’s girlfriend. At the beginning of the book, we believe their relationship is perfectly happy. However, the cracks in their relationship begin to show further into the story. Simon, the comedic relief. Simon is an aspiring actor, with a jazzy personality, which can sometimes be draining to everyone else. Finally, there’s Arthur. Arthur is a friend of Simon’s, but made his way into their group. Arthur is similar to Red, and keeps to himself. There’s a hint of a possible romance between the two characters. Despite their friendship, one person in the group is holding onto something. This something being a secret. A secret that could potentially determine their fates of surviving.

So, there’s a total of six main characters, which is suspenseful, considering the title of the book, Five Survive (emphasis on the five).

The reason why all six friends are introduced together, and the mention of an RV blueprint, is because they’re all traveling together in an RV. They’re goal destination is Gulf Shores, to meet up with other classmates for their spring break. 

The main turning point of this novel is when they become stranded in a forest. To explain further, hours into their drive, they become lost, and find themselves in the middle of nowhere. To make matters worse, the RV’s tire is flat. They soon become aware of the fact that they’re not alone, and someone is confining in them inside the RV with a gun. "The RV was going nowhere. And here they were, the six of them, trapped inside it, the wide-open nothing and the red dot waiting for them out there" (Jackson 75).

The group has to find a way to escape, revealing truths about relationships, feelings, and dark pasts throughout the night. The secret from earlier is a key detail now. That secret could be the key to their escape, if someone is willing to give it up.

Works Cited

Jackson, Holly. Five Survive. Delacorte Press, 2022.