This is Jenn Delperdang with the Sioux City Public Library, and you’re listening to Check It Out.
Today, I’m recommending Hidden Pictures, a crime-horror-thriller mash-up by Jason Rekulak--a book that won the Good Reads Choice Award for Horror in 2022.
Mallory Quinn is our narrator in this story. Once a star athlete in high school, at 21, Mallory is now a recovering addict. After 18 months sober, she is getting a second chance as a live-in nanny in the squeaky-clean suburb of Spring Brook for five-year-old Teddy Maxwell—a darling young artist who draws pictures for his family that his ‘imaginary friend’ Anya tells him to draw.
As Teddy’s drawings turn darker and more sophisticated, Mallory learns of a long-ago murder in the guest house where she is staying. The story unfolds at a fast pace with a supernatural twist, leaving readers to question those we’ve come to trust in the story, and trying to figure out just what is really happening in this haunting tale.
The character development of this story is great, and the author has plenty to say about white, affluent Gen X parents that will leave you thinking about class, trauma, and horror tropes. I love a good audiobook, but this is the kind of story that you really want to have in print, because there are over 70 surprising illustrations throughout the book that add so much to the vibe of this ‘lite’ horror novel.
If you’re looking for a fast-paced read that is a little creepy, a little menacing, and just scary enough to scratch that spooky winter itch, check out Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak at the Sioux City Public Library.
Support for Check It Out on Siouxland Public Media comes from Avery Brothers.
