Yay! It’s finally release day for Hide, one of my favorite books of the year so far. I had the pleasure of reading it back in January, and I still think about it. Here’s my review:
For those of you with Squid Game withdrawal symptoms, I highly recommend Hide, Kiersten White’s adult debut. Fourteen seemingly-random people are invited to take part in a large-scale hide and seek competition in an abandoned theme park. All the competitors have to do is successfully evade their unknown captor for seven days, and the winner gets $50,000. Does that seem too good to be true? Well, let’s just say not all terms and conditions are disclosed upfront, and as competitors begin to disappear, the horrifying truth behind the contest is revealed.
Hide is gruesome, disturbing, violent, and so much freaking fun. The narrative switches between characters, which gives readers a truly holistic view of events, but our main protagonist is Mack, a survivor of a deadly family trauma, with a real knack for finding ingenious hiding places. The alliances she forms with some of her fellow competitors give the story a real warmth.
I don’t want to give too much away, but the history behind the contest is really interesting, and says a lot about how holding on to tradition isn’t always a good thing. The character of the center of organizing this bonkers contest, Linda, is particularly insidious, and a lot of fun to read.
In terms of fun, exciting, and well-written horror, Hide is the book to beat this year. I was determined to avoid theme park-related imagery, but this truly is a roller coaster of a novel. Put on your seatbelts, we’re headed for the belly of the beast.
Hide is out NOW! Huge thanks to Del Rey Books for the ARC.
California Reading 