I've shelved this under fantasy, but it's only marginally fantasy really, and could almost be interpreted in the way that The Haunting of Hill House is interpreted... with all the non-natural elements resulting from the protagonist's instability and trauma. That trauma, here, is very clearly apparent. Sam and her older sister Caitlin have been removed from an abusive home and sent to live with their aunt. Caitlin is very clear-sighted about their situation, but Sam is miserable and just wants to go home, even though home is awful. Both girls are reacting to their new home as if it is another abusive environment - hyper-aware of their aunt's emotions and her ability to hurt them, and trying their best to mitigate it - even though that new home is a place of safety and understanding and their aunt loves them dearly. It's just very well done, with an enormous amount of restraint and even subtlety, and it wasn't surprising to read the author's note at the back which indicates that they have drawn on sad experience in writing this.

The fantastical elements, real or not, come in the form of the children's game of the title, and Sam slowly comes to realise that the characters in that game act as metaphors for her own family relationships. By playing the game, and interacting with those characters, she is able to grope her way to a healthier understanding of what has happened to her, and how little she is to blame. It's so cleverly and gently done, and even though I own an ecopy, I'm going to have to find a hard copy, I think, because it's lovely and I really want to read it again in a more tangible form.