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The Children on the Hill

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About The Book

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Drowning Kind comes a genre-defying new novel, inspired by Mary Shelley’s masterpiece Frankenstein, that brilliantly explores the eerie mysteries of childhood and the evils perpetrated by the monsters among us.

1978: At her renowned treatment center in picturesque Vermont, the brilliant psychiatrist, Dr. Helen Hildreth, is acclaimed for her compassionate work with the mentally ill. But when she’s home with her cherished grandchildren, Vi and Eric, she’s just Gran—teaching them how to take care of their pets, preparing them home-cooked meals, providing them with care and attention and love.

Then one day Gran brings home a child to stay with the family. Iris—silent, hollow-eyed, skittish, and feral—does not behave like a normal girl.

Still, Violet is thrilled to have a new playmate. She and Eric invite Iris to join their Monster Club, where they catalogue all kinds of monsters and dream up ways to defeat them. Before long, Iris begins to come out of her shell. She and Vi and Eric do everything together: ride their bicycles, go to the drive-in, meet at their clubhouse in secret to hunt monsters. Because, as Vi explains, monsters are everywhere.

2019: Lizzy Shelley, the host of the popular podcast Monsters Among Us, is traveling to Vermont, where a young girl has been abducted, and a monster sighting has the town in an uproar. She’s determined to hunt it down, because Lizzy knows better than anyone that monsters are real—and one of them is her very own sister.

A haunting, vividly suspenseful page-turner from the “literary descendant of Shirley Jackson” (Chris Bohjalian, author of The Flight Attendant), The Children on the Hill takes us on a breathless journey to face the primal fears that lurk within us all.

About The Author

Photograph by Zella McMahon

Jennifer McMahon is the author of twelve novels, including the New York Times bestsellers The Children on the HillPromise Not to Tell, and The Winter People. She lives in Florida with her partner, Drea. Visit her at Jennifer-McMahon.com or connect with her on Instagram @JenniferMcMahonWrites and Facebook @JenniferMcMahonBooks.

Why We Love It

“I don’t normally consider myself a fan or horror novels, but I devoured Jennifer McMahon’s new novel, The Children on the Hill, because it dives deep into themes that are close to my heart: the deep, lifelong connection between siblings; the difficult task of facing one’s own demons; the tragic fallout of too much ambition; the danger of playing God. Beyond the terror that McMahon mines to such extraordinary effect in her novels is the human element that makes her work so compelling, and that will launch The Children on the Hill onto the list of must-read fiction.”

—Jackie C., Senior Editor, on The Children on the Hill

Product Details

  • Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press (October 25, 2022)
  • Length: 352 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781982153960

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