The Friend

Sallie Cochren

Sep 2022 · Sallie Cochren

About this ebook

Jessica isn't your average fourth grader. The victim of bullying, Jessica wants nothing more than to have a friend of her own. When Aisha mysteriously shows up one day, Jessica finally finds an ally. However, Aisha may not be the friend she appears to be. When others begin to sense the dark presence of Jessica's unseen friend, will it be too late? Aisha will do anything to protect her own existence, even kill. She finds that she enjoys taking a human life so much that there may be no stopping her. How many people will Aisha kill? Can anyone ever stop someone who they can't even see? Will anyone be safe?

Ratings and reviews

I think this had a really great plot and cool characters, but it definitely could have benefited from an editor. I don't mean spell check; I mean it needs a serious fat trim. There are all kinds of unnecessary details (for example, what Jessica's school teachers do when a kid misses the bus) and it ruins the pacing and tension. I had trouble getting into it because there was so much completely unnecessary info. I also felt like the characterization of Jessica could have benefited from the old adage of Show, Don't Tell. I don't need to be told every five lines that Jessica is bullied and lonely. I can see that from a few examples of the bullying going on. I liked her as a character. I thought she was relatable. But reading the same description of how shy and lonely she is over and over got old. All that said, I loved the concept. A shy, bullied girl creating an imaginary friend who's far more real and sinister than she appears. I also love the ending looping back to an earlier dream.

About the author

Sallie Cochren is a retired middle school teacher. She taught Language Arts for sixteen years. Since retiring, she has been enjoying working on her writing and has published several books. Genres include fantasy, science fiction, young reader's fiction, horror and Christian fiction. When not writing, Sallie enjoys nature walks or spending time with her cat.