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What Mother Won't Tell Me

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

"An intoxicating [thriller], well worth the sleep you will lose as you read 'just one more chapter'." — Clémence Michallon, internationally bestselling author of The Quiet Tenant

Perfect for fans of Abigail Dean's Girl A and Adrian McKinty's The Chain, What Mother Won't Tell Me is a taut, Nordic thriller with a folk tale twist about a young girl raised in strict isolation, protected from the cruel people in the outside world, who soon realizes the most dangerous strangers are the ones in the bedroom across the hall... 

Once upon a time, a young woman named Juno lived in a cabin, deep in the woods on a remote island. She had only Mother; Father; her little brother Boy; and a book of fairytales for company. They lived in constant fear, because danger lurked on the other side of the lake, seeking them out – "strangers", as they called them, who wanted to destroy the family.

They lived safely, under seven strict commandments. Until Juno was spotted by a stranger. 

In one moment, Juno's world comes crumbling down around her. It's clear the island she calls home is not the safe haven she believed it to be and that more than a few secrets have been kept from her. Juno doesn't know her parents. She doesn't know herself. But whoever Mother and Father are, they'll do anything to keep Juno to themselves.

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      November 13, 2023
      German screenwriter Menger’s gripping debut ropes readers into the disquieting life of 15-year-old Juno, who’s lived on a small island in the middle of a lake in an unnamed country since she was a toddler. The island’s only other inhabitants are her parents and her 12-year-old brother, Boy. The children’s lives consist of a strict regimen of school lessons—mathematics, English, wound dressing, and domestic science—and regular drills in which they hide silently in the cellar of their cabin, should any strangers arrive on their shores. All strangers, per Juno and Boy’s parents, are dangerous. While Boy takes his parents’ words as gospel, Juno begins to question her family’s way of living as she enters adolescence, longing to find a way to the mainland. When a young man arrives on the beach outside Juno’s home in the middle of the night, it radically changes her life, calling her parents’ motives into question and potentially placing her in grave danger. Menger skillfully doles out disturbing reveals, maintaining expert tension without lingering in ambiguity for too long. This deliciously creepy puzzle box is bound to keep readers hooked. Agent: Isobel Dixon, Blake Friedmann Literary.

    • Library Journal

      December 1, 2023

      Menger's first novel in English is a deeply engaging read in which coming of age clashes with disillusionment and paranoia. Juno is a teenage girl living on a remote island with her parents and younger brother. Her life, along with that of her brother, Boy, is regimented, survival being their parents' foremost concern. Juno's inquiries about the family's situation are met with stony silence, and she and Boy are forced to participate in drills in which the consequences of the family's discovery are hinted at. Their parents insist that the children must adhere to seven commandments to ensure their safety (and their obedience), but Juno's curiosity often outweighs common sense, and she is spotted by a visitor. This breach of security leads to her parents' worries increasing but leaves Juno with more questions. She soon learns that the evasions of her family might hide deep and troubling mysteries. Menger credibly builds the suspense with every page, as the solution to the enigma that Juno attempts to solve threatens to come at a heavy price. VERDICT Will delight readers of Paula Hawkins and Gillian Flynn, as well as fans of psychological thrillers.--Philip Zozzaro

      Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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  • English

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