A MOTHER KNOWS HER CHILD BEST. DOESN'T SHE?

'Brilliant and creepy, I wolfed it down! One of my favourite reads of 2025' LISA JEWELL

Charlotte's daughter, Stella, is sensitive and brilliant - perhaps even a genius - but after the sudden death of her babysitter, Blanka, the once disruptive and anti-social child has become docile and agreeable. And what's more unsettling is that she has begun to mirror Blanka's personality, from her accent and repetitive phrases to fierce cravings for Armenian meat stew after being raised a vegetarian.

Charlotte is pregnant with her second child, depleted and sick, and convinced that Blanka herself is somehow responsible for Stella's transformation. But how could Blanka still be entwined in their lives?

As Charlotte becomes increasingly obsessed, it's clear her husband believes this is all in her head and soon, Charlotte is convinced she is the only one who can save her daughter.

Told through a singular, chilling voice, Clever Little Thing holds light to the blurred lines of diagnosis in children and to the vital power of maternal instinct. Kaleidoscopic and tense, pulse-pounding and genuinely creepy, this is an ode to motherhood and a page-turner that will haunt readers long after its epic finale.