I have no idea what put me in the mood for a horror novel, but I am so glad this was the book I picked up when the mood struck.
Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak follows Mallory Quinn as she tries to get her life back on track after her time in rehab. Now, as a nanny for Ted and Caroline Maxwell, she gets to have her own living space, nightly runs, and the stability she needs to stay on track. But after a while, Mallory starts to notice some peculiarities with their five-year-old son, Teddy. The adorable and imaginative child loves to draw trees, rabbits, balloons, and a man dragging a woman’s lifeless body through the forest. As the sketches go from a child’s usual stick figures to lifelike depictions of sinister things, Mallory begins to question whether there is another force at play in this suburban paradise.
It is so difficult to write children, and children in horror are even worse. Finding a horror story with a realistic depiction of such a young child while still allowing the story to be creepy and macabre is difficult, but this book fits the bill. The way the supernatural and psychological aspects of the story play off the cast of characters takes the reader through the twists and turns of the story.
There was a day when I sat outside with this book and barely lifted my eyes from the page for over 150 pages. I would have finished it then and there if I hadn’t had to go to class. I don’t read a ton of horror, but that’s because none of the ones I have grabbed have grabbed me back in the same way a thriller would, but this one did. I am excited to explore this genre further in the future.
Be forewarned audiobook lovers, the photos in this novel are genuinely important to the story, so this is a mandatory physical read.
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