She woke up with hope, but she only found tears: THE CHILDREN ON THE HILL.

The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In 1978, Violet and Eric live in Vermont with their grandmother. To them, she's just Gran, but to others, she's the famous Dr. Helen Hildreth, a psychiatrist well-known for her work with the mentally ill. She does her work at the Hillside Inn, a massive facility next to their home. One day she brings home a patient, Iris, a scared and feral child. Violet and Eric bring her into their "Monster Club," where they catalog monsters and watch for them around the property. The three do everything together, including meeting at their clubhouse and hunting monsters--because they are everywhere. Cut to 2019, where Lizzy Shelly, the host of the podcast Monsters Among Us, travels to Vermont to investigate the disappearance of a teen. Lizzy knows that bad things can happen and monsters are very real--including her own sister.

This dark and brooding novel caught my interest right away. McMahon (always a favorite author of mine) presents a really different story here. It's told via excerpts from a book by a journalist written in 1980; excerpts from the book of monsters written by Violet, Eric, and Iris in 1978; Lizzy in 2019; Violet in 1978; and "the monster." This may sound like a lot but McMahon weaves together all the various storylines seamlessly. The chapters are short and between those and the varied format, the book is quite captivating.

I guessed one of the twists fairly early, but enjoyed reading to see if I was right. CHILDREN delves into some intense topics, especially mental health awareness, but also the meaning of sisterhood and family. The idea of monsters is complex--both the spooky kind and the kind that are true evil. I really enjoyed reading about the dichotomy.

Overall, this book is unique and delves into the meaning of evil and how it comes to be. It's dark and twisty and an enjoyable read. 4 stars.

I received a copy of this book from Gallery Books and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.


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