by Zoje Stage
Part of Hanna
First published 2018
Suzette Jensen battles a chronic illness that makes raising children difficult, but she and her husband Alex decided to have a family anyway. Their seven-year-old daughter Hanna refuses to speak, though she can read and write perfectly. She acts out so badly in kindergarten that Suzette must homeschool her. Hanna saves her sweet behavior for Alex alone. When he's around, she transforms into the perfect child. With Suzette, Hanna grows increasingly aggressive and cruel. Suzette recognizes the hatred in her daughter's eyes and realizes Hanna manipulates every situation to drive a wedge between her parents. Each day brings new acts of defiance and violence. Suzette knows what Alex refuses to see: their beautiful daughter doesn't just dislike her mother. Hanna wants to destroy her completely. As the attacks escalate, Suzette begins to fear that Hanna might actually try to kill her.
Genres: domestic-fiction, adult-fiction, thriller, psychological-thriller, family-drama
Vibes: dark, disturbing, psychological, suspenseful, tense
Tropes: gaslighting, manipulation, toxic-family-dynamics, unreliable-narrator
Period: contemporary
320 pages · Paperback · St. Martin's Griffin
Content warnings: child-abuse, domestic-violence, emotional-abuse, mental-illness