The Hidden Child: A Novel

Product Description
An international bestseller
?“The Hidden Child is a heart-wrenching depiction of a golden couple in the 1920s…. Shocking, emotive, and compelling, but ultimately a story of hope. I loved it.” -- Deborah Carr, USA Today bestselling author of The Poppy Field
In this new historical novel by the author of Daughter of the Reich, Londoners Eleanor and Edward Hamilton have it all. But the 1929 financial crash is looming, and they’re harboring a shameful secret. How far are they willing to go to protect their charmed life?
Eleanor Hamilton is happily married and mother to a charming four-year-old girl, Mabel. Her husband, Edward, is a leading light in the burgeoning Eugenics movement, which is designing the very ideas that will soon be embraced by Hitler.
But when their daughter develops debilitating epileptic seizures, their world fractures. Mabel’s shameful illness must be hidden or Edward’s life’s work and the family’s honor will be in jeopardy.
When Eleanor discovers Edward has been keeping secrets, she calls into question everything she believed about genetic inferiority, and her previous unshakeable faith in her husband disintegrates. Alarmed, distressed, and no longer able to bear the family’s burden, she takes matters into her own hands.
Inspired by her personal experience, author Louise Fein illuminates moral and ethical issues of an era shaped by xenophobia, prejudice, fear, and well-intentioned yet flawed science. Vividly rendered, deeply affecting, and impeccably researched, The Hidden Child is a sweeping story and a richly drawn portrait of a family torn apart by shame, deceit, and dangerous ideals.
Review
“Fein fashions an affecting historical novel by weaving together themes of eugenics, epilepsy, PTSD, and the crash of 1929…. A good choice for readers who enjoy 20th-century historical fiction, Fein’s novel is well researched…. The classism and racism fundamental to eugenics come through clearly, as do the heartbreaking consequences of a child’s serious illness.” --
Library Journal\n“
The Hidden Child is a heart-wrenching depiction of a golden couple in the 1920s…. Shocking, emotive, and compelling, but ultimately a story of hope. I loved it.” -- Deborah Carr,
USA Today bestselling author of
The Poppy Field \n"From the first pages of Louise Fein’s
The Hidden Child, cracks appear in the picture-perfect veneer of the Hamilton family. I found myself tangled in the complicated web of Eleanor and Edward's marriage, and filled with both dread and hope for their daughter Mabel. Full of surprises,
The Hidden Child takes us into the heart of a 1930s marriage as Eleanor and Edward navigate the boundaries of class, family ties, and the overwhelming fear of bringing moral shame into the light. A bittersweet tale that will keep you turning the pages until the wee hours to see what happens next." -- Laura Morelli, USA Today bestselling author of
The Night Portrait\n"A family torn apart by misconceptions and forced to face their biggest fears,
The Hidden Child is a meticulously researched, brave and timely look into the deep-seated prejudices that drove entire nations." -- Serena Burdick, bestselling author of
The Girls with No Names\n"An acutely observed and heart-breaking story. Louise Fein has a rare talent for immersing readers in her characters’ stories and inviting us to decide what we would do. Her writing is pacy, warm and engaging, and she has become one of my new favorite authors." -- Gill Paul, bestselling author of
Another Woman's Husband and upcoming release
The Collector's Daughter\n“Louise Fein has done it again! At its core,
The Hidden Child is a story of hope and redemption, of humanity and growth. Charting one family as it navigates trauma from the first world war, the impending depression, and the rising eugenics movement that will give rise to Hitler's "Final Solution,"
The Hidden Child is both intimate and universal in scope. I loved this compelling read and its complex,