RECOMMENDED BY GILLIAN FLYNN ON THE TODAY SHOW âĒ A young Black girl goes missing in the woods outside her white rust belt town. But she's not the firstâand she may not be the last. . . .
âI read this thriller that is Get Out meets The Vanishing Half in one night.ââBuzzFeed
âExtraordinary . . . A terrifying tale of fears and hatreds generated by racism and class inequality.ââAssociated Press
EDGARÂŪÂ AWARD FINALIST âĒ BRAM STOKERÂŪ AWARD FINALIST âĒ SHIRLEY JACKSON AWARD NOMINEE âĒ PHENOMENAL BOOK CLUB PICK
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Esquire, Vulture, PopSugar, Paste, Publishers Weekly âĒ ONE OF COSMOPOLITANâS BEST HORROR NOVELS OF ALL TIME
Itâs watching.
Liz Rocher is coming home . . . reluctantly. As a Black woman, Liz doesnât exactly have fond memories of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a predominantly white town. But her best friend is getting married, so she braces herself for a weekend of awkward, passive-aggressive reunions. Liz has grown, though; she can handle whatever awaits her. But on the night of the wedding, somewhere between dancing and dessert, the newlywedsâ daughter, Caroline, disappearsâand the only thing left behind is a piece of white fabric covered in blood.
Itâs taking.
As a frantic search begins, with the police combing the trees for Caroline, Liz is the only one who notices a pattern: A summer night. A missing girl. A party in the woods. Sheâs seen this before. Keisha Woodson, the only other Black girl in Lizâs high school, walked into the woods with a mysterious man and was later found with her chest cavity ripped open and her heart removed. Liz shudders at the thought that it could have been her, and now, with Caroline missing, it canât be a coincidence. As Liz starts to dig through the townâs history, she uncovers a horrifying secret about the place she once called home. Children have been going missing in these woods for years. All of them Black. All of them girls.
Itâs your turn.
With the evil in the forest creeping closer, Liz knows what she must do: find Caroline, or be entirely consumed by the darkness.