Something in the Walls
A Novel
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3.6 • 17 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A Library Reads Pick!
Most Anticipated by Goodreads, E! News, BookRiot, and more!
Unbearably tense, utterly propulsive, and studded with folklore and horror, Something in the Walls is perfect for anyone who loves Midsommar and The Haunting of Hill House.
Newly-minted child psychologist Mina has little experience. In a field where the first people called are experts, she’s been unable to get her feet wet. Instead she aimlessly spends her days stuck in the stifling heat wave sweeping across Britain, and anxiously contemplating her upcoming marriage to careful, precise researcher Oscar. The only reprieve from her small, close world is attending the local bereavement group to mourn her brother’s death from years ago. That is, until she meets journalist Sam Hunter at the grief group one day. And he has a proposition for her.
Alice Webber is a thirteen year old girl who claims she’s being haunted by a witch. Living with her family in their crowded home in the remote village of Banathel, Alice’s symptoms are increasingly disturbing, and money is tight. Taking this job will give Mina some experience; Sam will get the scoop of a lifetime; and Alice will get better, Mina is sure of it.
But instead of improving, Alice’s behavior becomes increasingly inexplicable and intense. The town of Banathel has a deep history of superstition and witchcraft. They believe there is evil in the world. They believe there are ways of…dealing with it. And they don’t expect outsiders to understand.
As Mina races to uncover the truth behind Alice’s condition, the dark cracks of Banathel begin to show. Mina is desperate to understand how deep their sinister traditions go–and how her own past may be the biggest threat of all.
"Unexpected, mesmerizing, and totally original...will keep you guessing until its wild end." -#1 International Bestselling author Darby Kane
"Harrowing and moving...Pearce has written something magical. There are scenes in this book I'll never forget." -Kristi DeMeester, author of Such a Pretty Smile
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Demons and ghosts pale in comparison to human monsters in this rewarding folk thriller from Pearce (The Missing). Recent child psychology graduate Mina is still wracked with grief over the death of her brother more than six years ago. To cope, she starts attending a counseling group, where she meets Sam, a journalist mourning the death of his daughter. The pair bond quickly, and Sam soon asks Mina to help him interview 13-year-old Alice Webber, whose strange behavior has caused some members of her rural English community to believe she's possessed. Mina leaps at the chance to utilize her degree while secretly hoping that Alice might be able to help contact her brother. As Alice's outbursts grow more violent, her neighbors become increasingly paranoid, their mob mentality making Mina fear for Alice's safety. While poking around with an increasingly depressed Sam, Mina learns that the villager who's stirring up the loudest commotion about Alice's possession might not be as benevolent as he seems. What begins as a supernatural thriller gradually develops into a thoughtful meditation on grief and groupthink, with enough pathos and drama to keep the pages turning. It's a winner.
