Description:
"An immensely satisfying, shivery tale of vengeance."--Nova Ren Suma, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Walls Around Us and Wake the Wild Creatures
"Darkly atmospheric and impossible to put down."-Shea Earnshaw, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Wicked Deep ★ "A complex and haunting tale that makes room for hope and optimism."--Publisher's Weekly, starred review In this gothic historical tale, two girls must uncover the secrets of their haunted home before it's too late.THE HARROW HOME FOR WAYWARD GIRLS has long stood as a place of secrets. The estate has housed hundreds of young women hidden away during their pregnancies, their homesick cries echoing through the halls, providing a haunting score to Grace Harrow's childhood. Now, in the summer of 1947, the Home has been sold to a wealthy hotelier. Grace expects the new owner's daughters to be spoiled. Yet Rose, the eldest daughter--unaware of Mr. Harrow's abusive tendencies--is jealous of Grace's seemingly easy confidence. But as they're drawn into each other's lives, an unlikely friendship begins to form. Fortunately so, because not all of the wayward girls made it out... One still lingers. Lurking in the shadows. Looking for vengeance. To expose the truth buried in the walls of the Harrow Home, Grace and Rose must unravel a legacy of silence and cruelty. But Grace's father will stop at nothing to keep the past hidden, and if the truth comes to light, it could destroy both their families.
Brief description: Jessica Spotswood is the internationally-bestselling author of Great or Nothing and YA fantasy trilogy The Cahill Witch Chronicles. She is the editor of the feminist anthologies A Tyranny of Petticoats and The Radical Element, and co-editor of Toil & Trouble. Jess's books have been included on the ALA's Rainbow and Rise lists and chosen as Junior Library Guild selections. She lives in Washington, DC, with her husband, mystery author Stephen Spotswood, and she works at the DC Public Library.
Review Quotes:
★ "Perceptive, unwavering prose portrays societal expectations in post-WWII America surrounding gender roles, bodily autonomy, and emotional and physical abuse, with candid nuance. . . . This searing novel considers how friendship empowers women and facilitates moments of resistance . . . a complex and haunting tale that makes room for hope and optimism."--Publisher's Weekly, starred review
"The men who abuse women and girls in this gothic historical thriller come to realize that such actions have lethal consequences."--Booklist
"The girls are magnetic and justifiably angry in this ferocious gothic mystery with a searing feminist edge. Vivid, gutsy, and filled with hairpin turns and startling secrets, The Harrow Home for Wayward Girls is an immensely satisfying, shivery tale of vengeance." --Nova Ren Suma, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Walls Around Us and Wake the Wild Creatures
"A haunting, slowly building mystery that finds horror not in what is seen but in what cannot be escaped."--Kirkus "A reflection on the complexities of girlhood is made both profound and chilling in a layered, atmospheric narrative that shifts between the two girls as they wrestle with ghostly threats and true, corporeal violence... The yearning to be desired and the inherent vulnerability that comes with attraction and lust is explored with a deft, compassionate hand" --BCCB "This dark and twisty historical fiction weaves threads of feminism, magical realism, and coming-of-age into a taut mystery with strong female leads and spine-tingling thrills." --School Library Journal