The Unseen
A Novel
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3.8 • 8 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A terrifying new novel from bestselling #HorrorBookTok sensation Ania Ahlborn—the acclaimed author of the modern classic Brother.
Hailed as a writer of “some of the most promising horror I’ve encountered in years” (Seanan McGuire, author of the Ghost Roads series), Ania Ahlborn delivers a novel that pushes the boundaries of horror into a new realm.
Isla Hansen, a mother reeling from a devastating loss, is beside herself when a mysteriously orphaned child appears on the outskirts of the Hansens’ secluded Colorado property. Although strange and unexplainable, the child’s presence breathes new life into Isla. But as the child settles in, Isla’s husband, Luke, and their five children notice peculiarities that hint at something far beyond the ordinary—anomalies that challenge the very fabric of reality itself. The tension within the Hansen household grows, and with it, the sense that there is something very wrong with the new kid in the house.
The Unseen is a haunting tale that walks the line between the familiar and the unknown, drawing us into a chilling narrative where reality itself feels just out of reach.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Fueled by malevolent aliens and sinister changelings, this middling sci-fi horror novel from Ahlborn (Brother) follows grieving mother Isla Hansen as she reckons with both the death of her infant son, Adam, and the ongoing spate of children's disappearances that have gone unsolved in her small town. When a strange boy of five or six years old turns up in her garden in bad shape, Isla believes his appearance to be a miracle and is determined to provide "Rowan," as she dubs him, with a family and home, despite the warnings of the social worker assigned to his case and the misgivings of her husband, Luke. Things take an eerie turn in their house as Isla's five other children, August, Eden, Olive, Sophie, and Willow, witness their mother behaving increasingly strangely as her obsession with both Rowan and a mysterious disappearance from her own childhood consume her. Though the plot moves along at a good clip with suitably creepy descriptions and body horror that is gory without being gratuitous, much of the imagery will feel familiar, if not a little derivative, especially for fans of Stranger Things. Meanwhile, the characters blend together in a jostled narrative that switches viewpoints far too rapidly. It's a brisk diversion, but not a memorable one.
