Clever Little Thing: A Novel

by Helena Echlin Narrated by Not Yet Available

Overview

"Sharp and unflinching-a perfectly unnerving story." -Ashley*Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push

A taut, powerful mom-noir psychological thriller following a mother who must confront a sudden and terrifying change in her daughter after the abrupt death of their babysitter

Charlotte's daughter Stella is sensitive and brilliant, perhaps even a genius, but a recent change in her behavior has alarmed her parents. Following the sudden death of Stella's babysitter, Blanka, the once disruptive and anti-social child has become docile and agreeable. But what's unsettling is that she has begun to mirror Blanka's personality, from Blanka's repetitive phrases to her accent, to fierce cravings for Armenian meat stew after being raised a vegetarian.

Charlotte is pregnant with her second child, and depleted and sick with the pregnancy. She is convinced that Blanka herself is somehow responsible for Stella's transformation. But how could Blanka, dead, still be entwined in their lives? Has Blanka somehow possessed Stella? Has Stella become Blanka? As Charlotte becomes increasingly obsessed, she is sure that only she can save her daughter. . . even though it's soon clear that her husband believes this is all in Charlotte's head.

Helena Echlin's singular, chilling voice holds light to the blurred lines of diagnosis in children and to the vital power of maternal instinct. Kaleidoscopic and tense, pulse-pounding and genuinely creepy, and infused with shades of the supernatural, Clever Little Thing is an ode to motherhood and a nuanced critique of the caretaking industry, a page-turner that will haunt readers long after its epic, surprising finale.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Praise for Clever Little Thing:

"Goosebumps! Clever Little Thing is a sharp and unflinching twist on mom noir—part psychological thriller, part supernatural horror, this is a perfectly unnerving story with something to say about the collision of motherhood’s love and fear, maternal instinct, and the bond between mothers and daughters."
—Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push

“Echlin brilliantly blurs the lines between love, possession, and obsession in this eerie, twisty story of a mother trying to protect her daughter. Clever Little Thing had me racing to discover what was madness, what was manipulation, and what might be all too real.”
—Tracy Sierra, author of Nightwatching

"Helena Echlin’s Clever Little Thing is a cleverly constructed psychological thriller about the intense pressures of motherhood and the lengths that a mother will go to to protect her children—I found it incredibly moving, tense, and deliciously creepy, and I know that last chapter will stay with me for a very long time."
—Ashley Tate, author of Twenty-Seven Minutes

“Relentlessly addictive. Clever Little Thing and its characters are so terrifying because they are so real. . . It’s going to take me a very long time to recover from this book. Stella is an absolute force.”
—CJ Leede, author of Maeve Fly

Product Details

BN ID:	2940192502365
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	01/14/2025
Edition description:	Unabridged