The Diviners (Bray novel)

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

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The Diviners is a young adult novel authored by Libba Bray, released on September 18, 2012, through Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Set against the backdrop of 1920s New York City, the story centers on seventeen-year-old Evie O'Neill, who teams up with her uncle Will—the curator of the Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult—to investigate a series of baffling murders.

This book earned nominations for the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy and the Bram Stoker Award, and was recognized by YALSA as one of the top audiobooks of 2012.

Plot

After facing personal challenges, Evie O'Neill relocates to live with her uncle in 1920s New York. A spirit named Naughty John, inadvertently summoned via a ouija board, appears connected to a sequence of homicides. Gifted with the ability to "read" objects, Evie collaborates with her uncle to confront this supernatural murderer. Along her journey, she meets others possessing similar talents and uncovers more complex plots behind the killings.

The narrative continues in Lair of Dreams, which develops key characters further and introduces new dangers; followed by Before the Devil Breaks You, which centers on a legion of vengeful spirits and the mysterious King of Crows; culminating in The King of Crows, where new figures emerge and conflicts intensify.

Evie O'Neill

Evie is a flapper and diviner from the 1920s who can interpret objects to reveal hidden truths. In Lair of Dreams, she gains fame as "America's Sweetheart Seer" through her own radio broadcast. At age seventeen, she embarks on a romantic relationship with Jericho while still engaging in playful flirtations with Sam and navigating Mabel’s affection for Jericho.

Mabel Rose

Mabel, Evie's closest friend, is the daughter of communist labor activists. More introverted than Evie, she has long held feelings for her downstairs neighbor, Jericho.

William Fitzgerald

Referred to as "Uncle Will," William is both Evie's guardian and uncle who oversees the Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult. He employs Jericho as his assistant.

Sam Lloyd

Sam (Sergei Lubovitch) is a cunning thief and con artist endowed with divining abilities that help him remain unnoticed. He frequently flirts with Evie while maintaining a detached and witty demeanor.

Jericho Jones

Jericho serves as Will’s assistant and is Mabel's neighbor. Known for his considerable size and strength, he was revived using an advanced serum after an injury; due to childhood polio, much of his body functions mechanically.

Memphis Campbell

Working as a numbers runner for a Harlem crime boss, Memphis possesses healing divination powers he no longer practices after being unable to save his mother. He cares deeply for his brother Isaiah, aspires to be a published poet, and harbors feelings for Theta Knight.

Theta Knight

Previously known as Betty Sue Bowers, Theta is a Ziegfeld girl and flapper capable of generating heat and flames when emotionally upset. She shares a residence with her roommate Henry near Mabel and Jericho while fleeing an abusive past in Kansas. She is romantically involved with Memphis.

Henry DuBois IV

Henry, once a resident of Louisiana and a close companion of Theta, frequently joins her performances in the Ziegfeld Follies as a pianist. Gifted with the power to enter and influence other people's dreams, he is currently separated from his partner Louis, a violinist, and is saving funds to purchase a new piano with the hope of reuniting with him.

Naughty John

John Hobbes, known as "Naughty" John, was a serial murderer from the 1870s who was inadvertently summoned as a spirit through a ouija board. He aspires to become the living embodiment of The Brethren, a Christian cult. His involvement in dark ceremonies enabled his return from death, and he murdered Mary White Blodgett—his romantic partner—as part of his twelve religious sacrifices.

Isaiah Campbell

Isaiah, the younger sibling of Memphis and also a diviner, possesses abilities to foresee future events, interpret cards, and traverse dreams.

Blind Bill Johnson

Bill is a homeless man addicted to gambling and a diviner who drains life energy from others. He has the capability to kill using only his mind and is compulsively driven to find winning numbers.

The Proctor sisters

Lillian and Adelaide Proctor are elderly neighbors of Mabel who practice protective magic. They also foresee the future by interpreting omens derived from cats sacrificed in their rituals.

The homeless veteran

Luther Clayton, a World War I veteran believed to have divining powers, provides warnings that Evie doubts. He reminds her of her brother James, who died during the war.

Arthur

Arthur is a Marxist revolutionary with anarchist leanings who assists Mabel in escaping a speakeasy raid. Although he harbors romantic feelings for Mabel, his radical ideology causes concern even among her own progressive parents.

The King of Crows

This figure is described as a tall man wearing a stovepipe hat and draped in a cloak made of blue-black feathers. He appears within dreams while executing an enigmatic overarching plan.

The crow

This crow follows Memphis at times and frightens him; it is thought to symbolize his mother.

The girl with the green eyes (Ling)

Ling first appears briefly in Evie's dream in The Diviners as "the girl with the green eyes" but later becomes the protagonist in Lair of Dreams. She is the daughter of Irish and Chinese immigrants and has the ability to walk through dreams and communicate with spirits within them.

Development

The series progressed with subsequent novels: Lair of Dreams (2015), Before The Devil Breaks You (2017), and The King of Crows (2020). Bray was inspired to write the initial book by her passion for horror and her wish to craft a historical supernatural saga.

Reception

The Diviners earned widespread critical praise, receiving positive evaluations from outlets such as Entertainment Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and Booklist. Although The Star (Malaysia) gave an overall favorable review, it expressed some disappointment regarding how the story concluded. Additionally, the School Library Journal honored it as one of their top books for 2012.

Film adaptation

Paramount Pictures secured the film rights for The Diviners, intending for Libba Bray to adapt her novel into a screenplay. The production team includes Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage as producers.