In the Clearing

A ticking-clock thriller that braids together the stories of a girl raised in a terrifying cult, and of an overprotective single mother whose fears for her child are about to come true.

Amy has only ever known what life is like in the Clearing, with her brothers and sisters--until a newcomer, a younger girl, joins the "family" and offers a glimpse of the outside world. Freya is living an isolated life with her son and their dog, going to great lengths to keep contact with the outside world like an "everyday mum" while being utterly terrified by it. When a news breaks of a missing girl--a child the same age as Freya's son, Billy--Amy and Freya's stories intertwine, and the secrets of the past will crawl inexorably into the present.