Hideaway by Nicole Lundrigan

We all want the same thing -- "to be out in the open. To be regarded. To be seen."

Gloria and her two children live together alone in the house on Pinchkiss Circle ever since Telly, husband and father, took off to live with another woman. Rowan is nearly 13 and is big brother to seven-year-old Maisy when events in their home and lives turn from bad to worse. Gloria Janes likes to keep things up for appearance sake, and goes to great lengths to make sure that her children understand that she is in control -- of them, of their daily existence, and of the truth they tell. Manipulative and narcissistic, Gloria uses praise and punishment to create an atmosphere of total subjugation in her children. Or else. When Rowan vanishes after being locked out of the house one night, the repercussions of his time away with the mentally ill Carl have far-reaching detrimental effects that no one could have foreseen for the family. NO SPOILERS.

I had a very hard time writing this review. Did I enjoy this book? No, not really. It was a difficult read because of the subject matter (abuse of children) and also because of the severity of Gloria's psychiatric issues. The relentless despair was palpable and frustrating. The tone was depressing and only partially relieved by the somewhat hopeful conclusion. I think readers will need to be in a certain frame of mind to read this and I hope the novel doesn't haunt my dreams. I realize that there is a significant issue socially in our world with how mental illness is recognized and addressed. I have no answers but don't feel confident at all that we are headed in the right direction for protection and treatment. I was tempted a time or two to mark this as DNF, but I kept going and I'm glad I finished. The imagination and quality of the writing in the book was excellent and rang true as the voices of Rowan and Maisy alternately narrated their story. I did read it in one sitting and am now taking a deep cleansing breath.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this e-book ARC to read and review.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre - dark and deeply disturbing novel of a family in crisis