Book Review: Hiding by Jenny Morton Potts

This book has been hiding (sorry, couldn’t resist the pun) in my TBR for months. Today, I’m happy to finally get my review to you. Enjoy!

Blurb

Hiding by Jenny Morton Potts is a psychological thriller that brings Keller Baye and Rebecca Brown together. Previously living on either side of the Atlantic, Rebecca knows nothing of Keller until she falls in love with him. But Keller knows a lot about Rebecca…

Review

Wow, how to explain Hiding? Let’s start by saying it is a story about families. And in a lot of ways, it is their families that define the people Keller and Rebecca become. At the very start of the book, Keller’s Dad is executed for killing a judge during a bank robbery that went wrong. That leaves Keller to be brought up by his Aunt Joya, a truly despicable person who treats Keller terribly. As we see his character progress, we can see the effect these people have had on a once sweet boy.

It’s the same with Rebecca’s family. She and her older brother and sister live with their grandparents after their parents die when Rebecca is four years old. They live in a far-flung house in Scotland which never receives visitors, only the curious Uncle Neil. Her grandparents are extremely reluctant to speak about Rebecca’s parents and this leads to years and years of trying to find answers.

I love the eerie writing style of the author, especially in the setting of the Brown household, and even more so with their stilted family conversations. Although Keller’s family is worse, they didn’t give me the same chill the Browns did. However, what I like most about the way this book is written is how the murkiness of Keller is set against the innocence of Rebecca.

Adding even more to this wonderful story is character development. Throughout the book, we learn a good deal about all the characters but it is Keller’s development I enjoyed the most. The reason he is how he is not immediately apparent like with Rebecca. His backstory was laid out more gently, was more interesting and provided a lot of context. By the end, while I found him really creepy, I also couldn’t help feeling sorry for him.

For me, it was a shame how the book ended. Not in the conclusion of the story itself but because of its abrupt end after chapters of careful development. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed Hiding and would like to see a sequel.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.