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A review by librarymouse
The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This was a really enjoyable and engaging read. It was eally well written, especially in how the storytelling explores how a story can be warped as it passes through multiple perspectives. Young Eric, Violet, and Iris are lovely and the pacing between the late 70s and late 2010s works really well. This is another one of those books, that while I know it's horror, it doesn't read as necessarily scary for me. The nuance of the characters was the driving force behind the book.
one thing that was Neve quite far enough explored was the kiss scene. I think it was meant to express Violet's impulsiveness seeping back through as she forsakes the medications she's being given and looks into what she thinks is Iris's past. That and the lure Violet feels towards Iris; the desire to know and be known. Just having that expressed through a kiss between characters referred to as sisters throughout the whole rest of the book was odd. Especially so when it was never brought up again. Violet having wished for a sister, and having that wish fulfilled is deeply unsettling, knowing their Gran had Eric keeping tabs on her and was using hypnosis on her. The ending of the book and the uncovering that Violet is patient S puts quite a lot of earlier events into perspective.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction and Death of parent
Minor: Ableism, Gun violence, Incest, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
Also warning for eugenics