Jon Smith | Screenwriter

The Arb

Balkon Media | Published: 1st July 2023 | ISBN: 9781838452964

The Arb by Jon Smith - copy of paperback and ebook versions on display

Synopsis

Jon Smith makes his YA debut with The Arb a page-turningly terrifying gothic paranormal romance.

When a malevolent figure from Khmer folklore awakens, Sothea and Gabe must navigate friendship, family and the monster within to overcome a terrifying supernatural force and protect the society that shunned them.

Gabe, a seventeen-year-old labourer, becomes besotted by the enigmatic Sothea after her family moves into the dilapidated manor house he’s working on. Both are misfits and find it difficult to communicate with others, but in those brief moments they have together – be it a stolen glance, a whispered exchange, or a secret rendezvous – they begin to discover and explore their true selves and feelings.

But this idyllic blossoming romance is shattered when a malevolent figure from Khmer folklore – an arb – roams the night to feed on the unsuspecting. 

The Arb is a dark coming-of-age tale that follows two neurodiverse teens who struggle to be accepted by a society that has little time, or empathy, for anyone who’s different. A contemporary gothic paranormal layered in Arthurian legend with an Asian horror twist.

Jon Smith blends the primal nature of gothic horror with the tension of paranormal suspense. The unique supernatural force that lies within the mysterious mansion house will engage anyone who geeks out about YA horror, folklore or Arthurian legend. Throw in a tender, often awkward, bittersweet romance, not to mention the mysterious central female character of Sothea and you have: 

The Arb – now terrorising all good bookshops

 


THE ARB

by

Jon Smith

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