Most people know something about Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. They might not have read the book, but still they know at least one thing about the story: it’s about a monster made by a human, a mad scientist. But who is the real monster?
The Children on the Hill raises the same question. Two storylines take place in different years. One is in 1978. Dr. Helen Hildreth is a famous psychiatrist known for her work with the mentally ill at her treatment center in Vermont. But when she’s home with her grandchildren, Vi and Eric, who live with her, she’s just Gran.
One day Gran brings a girl home with her, Iris. This girl doesn’t act like a normal girl. Her actions are almost feral. Still, Vi is thrilled to have a new playmate. After some time, Iris begins to come out of her shell. Then Vi and Eric invite her to join their Monster Club. Before long, they are doing everything together: riding their bicycles, going to the drive-in, and hunting monsters. Because monsters are everywhere.
The other storyline is In 2019. Lizzy Shelley, the host of a popular podcast, Monsters Among Us, travels to Vermont, where a young girl has been abducted. The abduction and a supposed monster sighting have the people uneasy. Lizzy is determined to track the monster down; she knows better than anyone that monsters are real. Not only that, but she is sure she knows who the monster is and is determined to stop the monster from abducting anyone else.
Did this book keep me on the edge of my seat? How?
This book was hard to put down. I always had the feeling that something dramatic was going to happen on the next page. Violet did so much snooping I knew it was only a matter of time before she found out something about Iris. But what she ultimately found out wasn’t what she (or I) expected.
What did I like best about this story?
The ending. Okay, I know that isn’t the answer that was expected, but I truly thought the book was going to have a horrifying ending. But the ending was extremely satisfying, and once I thought about what happened, it made so much sense.
Amazon Link: The Chldren on the Hill
New Word Learned:
candlepin bowling – Candlepin bowling is a popular kind of bowling in Canada’s Maritime regions, New England, and other small regions of the USA. The game is named after the apparatus used to play, including a tiny ball and small, narrow pins shaped like candles.
Vi had put on extra mustard because she told herself it wasn’t just mustard, it was a special monster-repelling potion, something to keep Gran safe, to keep the werewolves and vampires at bay.
Some secrets were too big to keep.
Monsters, Vi knew, were clever creatures; some were experienced predators.
I came from the loneliness of rain dripping down a windowpane, a little girl looking out from it, wishing for a friend, a sister she could share everything with.
About the Author:
Jennifer McMahon was born in 1968 and grew up in her grandmother’s house in suburban Connecticut, where she was convinced a ghost named Virgil lived in the attic. She wrote her first short story in third grade. A poem turned into a story, which turned into a novel, and she decided to take some time to think about whether she wanted to write poetry or fiction.
After bouncing around the country, she wound up back in Vermont, living in a cabin with no electricity, running water, or phone with her partner, Drea, while they built their own house. Over the years, she has been a house painter, farm worker, paste-up artist, Easter Bunny, pizza delivery person, homeless shelter staff member, and counselor for adults and kids with mental illness. She quit her last real job in 2000 to work on writing full time.
In 2004, she gave birth to their daughter, Zella. These days, they’re living in an old Victorian in Montpelier, Vermont. Some neighbors think it looks like the Addams family house, which brings her immense pleasure.
