The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon

 

I rated The Children on the Hill 4 out of 5 pages and was thoroughly impressed with not only the writing but the premise of the novel.

Jennifer McMahon brings the reader on a back and forth from 1978 to present day Vermont in the home of Dr. Helen Hildreth and her two grandchildren Vi and Eric. Dr. Hildreth runs a treatment center for the mentally ill and cares for Vi and Eric teaching them how to be upstanding, intelligent children. This all changes when Dr. Hildreth brings home Iris who is anything but a normal child.

Vi and Eric welcome Iris, with her scars and unknown past, into what they refer to as they Monster Club. The children spend the days and nights hunting monsters and dreaming up ways to defeat them, that is until they realize some of the scariest monsters are right under their nose. The novel parallels with a grown of Lizzy Shelley in 2019, host of a podcast who is chasing monsters as she did with her brother when she was younger. She finds herself at the center of an abduction of a young girl in Vermont with tales of a monster sighting around the same time. Lizzy takes it upon herself to dive further into these sightings and the abduction and what she finds on the other end is anything short of what the reader can expect.

The character development was very in depth and showcased all the characters individually. While the main characters such as Vi were well developed and relatable, McMahon made sure to allow each character to shine in their own light and took great care in detail of who each one was. McMahon’s style of writing also made this novel enjoyable and very easy to read. She was descriptive to the point of leaving goosebumps. Sometimes, I did find myself wishing the story would get to the point, but I also think that was just because I was so intrigued with the story I wanted to know more and fast.

This novel was eerie, mysterious, twisty and provocative. Not only does it address that monsters exist in real life but it also touches upon topics all too forgotten in this country’s history. I found myself breathless with the turn of every page, attempting to figure out the hints being dropped or where the story was leading and I can tell you this- you will not expect what you will find at the end. With this novel, things are seldom what they seem.