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“The suspenseful plot combines elements of Thomas Tryon’s classic Harvest Home, Netflix’s Squid Game, and the social commentary of Jordan Peele’s film oeuvre and mixes these with a revelatory pacing reminiscent of Spielberg’s Jaws.”—Booklist
The challenge: Spend a week hiding in an abandoned amusement park and don’t get caught.
The prize: enough money to change everything.
Even though everyone is desperate to win—to seize a dream future or escape a haunting past—Mack is sure she can beat her competitors. All she has to do is hide, and she’s an expert at that.
It’s the reason she’s alive and her family isn’t.
But as the people around her begin disappearing one by one, Mack realizes that this competition is even more sinister than she imagined, and that together might be the only way to survive.
Fourteen competitors. Seven days. Everywhere to hide but nowhere to run.
Come out, come out, wherever you are.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherDel Rey
- Publication dateMay 24, 2022
- File size5720 KB
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From the Publisher
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Hide is a claustrophobic thriller choked with weeds, rust, and rot. The game here is not what it seems. The hunt is swift and merciless, and the fear is primal and bestial. Don’t pick up this book unless you have time to read it all in one anxious sitting.”—Stephanie Perkins, New York Times bestselling author of There’s Someone Inside Your House
“Haunting, startling, unrelenting, and unexpectedly heartbreaking, Hide draws you inexorably in among the thorns and rust, where the monsters are both intimately familiar and horrifyingly unfathomable.”—Delilah S. Dawson, New York Times bestselling author of The Violence
“Equal parts hell-ride thriller and American fable, Kiersten White’s Hide runs you through a sinister child’s game set in a nightmare amusement park, and it does so with gleeful, fiendish delight. I hung on to this book with bloodless knuckles, and I adored every spine-chilling second.”—Chuck Wendig, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Accidents
“White pulls no punches in this brilliantly executed thrill ride. Every twist and turn horrified and delighted me in equal measure.”—Erin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows
“This book will live in your head rent-free. When I wasn’t reading Hide, I was thinking about it—it’s one of those rare books that twists itself into your consciousness. Kiersten White has outdone herself.”—Victoria Lee, author of A Lesson in Vengeance
“A marvelously creepy thrill ride of a book that keeps twisting until the very end.”—Karen M. McManus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying
“The suspenseful plot combines elements of Thomas Tryon’s classic Harvest Home, Netflix’s Squid Game, and the social commentary of Jordan Peele’s film oeuvre and mixes these with a revelatory pacing reminiscent of Spielberg’s Jaws.”—Booklist
“An enthralling, high-energy thriller grounded in supernatural horror . . . White skillfully balances the terrifying solo experiences of individual characters, the tense group dynamics, and the park’s backstory to create a constantly shifting narrative backed by a growing sense of dread. With this exhilarating outing, White proves she has a finger on the pulse of millennial horror.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
get lost in the fun! posters advertised, and it was true: Crowds surged through the gates in the morning and didn’t stumble out again until the sun had set, and spotlights at the exit guided them free. The maps were useless, the You Are Here guides impossible to find. It was a park designed to swallow. Trees loomed over lush grounds. Signature topiary lined every walled and wandering path, adding to the sense of wonder. Roller coasters, swings, carousels, games, houses of love and fun and terror—though the house at the very center was always closed for refurbishment.
The park was open from mid-May until early September. whites only was on signs in the early years, heavily implied when such a thing became harder to officially declare. And, for one week every seven years, it was free. The gates would swing wide, and the summer migrant workers and distant relatives of the wealthy townsfolk, normally too poor to enjoy something designed purely for escape, would wander in, wide-eyed. There were no ticket sales, no attendance numbers, just a joyfully packed park.
In 1974, during the free week, a prominent businessman from upstate decided to visit. He hadn’t been invited, but he was considering investing since a cousin-of-a-cousin owned the park. He wanted to see the attractions for himself first, though. He brought along his wife and two children and made it a holiday.
Their little girl, five, was never seen again.
One of the migrant workers was arrested for her murder, but the negative publicity left a stain that didn’t wash out. So the Amazement Park closed its gates.
Eventually, the rumors died. The plants grew. Nature slowly co-opted the buildings, the rides, the roller coasters. What didn’t crumble rusted, and what didn’t rust leaned, and what didn’t lean sagged under the weight of ivy and neglect.
Somewhere, very close to the center—the house that was always closed, where few ever even got, owing to the odd layout of the park—a shoe had caught on the low branches of a topiary. Unchecked, the verdant beast slowly grew higher and higher until the shoe was eye level.
It was patent leather, dulled and cracked with weather and time. The perfect size for a five-year-old foot.
It takes money to make money, her dad used to say.
He also once said Come out, come out, wherever you are, dragging the knife along the wall as music to accompany the dying gasps of her sister. Mack might have imagined the gasps, though. Who could say.
She couldn’t, and even if she could, she wouldn’t.
She’s not saying anything right now, either, sitting across from the manager. The meeting was mandatory, a “shelter requirement,” though she’s been here several months now and this is the first one.
“Come on, Mackenzie. Help me help you.” The woman’s smile is painted on like her cheekbones and eyebrows, and just as artfully. Her expression doesn’t shift at all in the face of Mack’s silence. It’s impressive. Does she do stamina reps in the quiet dark of her bedroom, lifting the corners of her lips over and over, careful not to disrupt her eyes?
The manager clasps her hands together, fingernails painted dark red. “I’ll be honest with you. Things are going to change around here. I believe that we can help only those willing to help themselves. These shelters have stagnated—no hope, no progress. How can we live in a society without progress?”
The voice is animated, but the eyes remain untouched by the sentiments or the smile. Expressionless. Like they’re hidden behind something. Mack feels an odd affinity for this woman, alongside an instinctive wariness. But she disagrees. The point of a shelter isn’t progress. It’s shelter.
“I’ve looked at your file.” The woman gestures to a blank manila folder on the desk. Mack suspects it’s empty. She hopes it is. “It’s bad luck you’re here. I understand. No social safety net to fall back on. A few months without a job, without rent, and it’s hard to dig yourself out. You need to move on with your life. Contribute to humanity. All you need is a little good luck first.”
“Donation bins could use tampons more than luck.” Mack’s voice is soft and dry with disuse.
The woman cracks, something triumphant behind her eyes. Mack shouldn’t have spoken. The woman holds up an envelope. “It just so happens, some luck has come in the mail. Whether it’s good is really up to you. Right now, it’s an opportunity. And I think you’re perfect for it.”
Mack has never been perfect for anything in her life. Perfect feels like a foreign word, stiff and uncomfortable. But maybe it’s a job. A little money to get presentable and she’ll have an actual chance. As long as they don’t pry. As long as they don’t look too closely. She could make it work.
She takes the sheet of paper the woman slides across the desk. It’s thick. It feels expensive. Mack is suddenly aware of her hands—her bitten fingernails, her shiny burned palms, her ragged cuticles. If she sets down the paper, will she leave a smudge? It’s hard to be embarrassed at this point in her life, but the idea wriggles beneath her skin.
She’s so worried about leaving a fingerprint—one that will somehow count against her in this imaginary job interview—that it takes her several seconds to process what she’s reading.
“Is this a joke?” she whispers.
The woman’s smile doesn’t budge. “I know it sounds like one. But I assure you it’s legitimate.”
“Who told you?”
Finally, the woman’s cheeks relax, and her eyebrows draw close. “What do you mean? Who told me what? That it’s legitimate?”
About me, Mack thinks. Who told you about me? But the woman’s confusion can’t be feigned. Can it? If she can paint on a face, can she paint on emotions, too? Mack drops the letter. There are no fingerprints. But the words have left smudges across her mind.
“Why are you giving this to me?” Mack knows how lost she sounds, how scared, but she can’t help it. “Why me?”
The woman laughs, a single dismissive burst. “I know it seems silly. The Olly Olly Oxen Free Hide-and-Seek Tournament. It’s a children’s game, for god’s sake. But it’s a chance to win fifty thousand dollars, Mackenzie. You could use that to actually move up in the world. You’re young. You’re intelligent. You’re not a thief, you’re not an addict. You shouldn’t be here.”
No one should be here. They all still are.
The woman leans forward intently. “It’s run by an athletic company, Ox Extreme Sports. I can put in a good word and get you registered. There’s no guarantee you’d win, but—I think you have a shot. It’s more about endurance than anything else. Besides, you strike me as someone who’s good at hiding.”
Mack’s chair scrapes back, jarring them both. But Mack can’t be in this room, can’t think, not while she’s being looked at. Not while she’s being seen. The woman doesn’t know about Mack’s history, and still, somehow she knows.
“Can I think about it,” Mack states. It’s not a question.
“Of course. But let me know by tomorrow. If you don’t want the spot, I’m sure someone else will. It’s a lot of money, Mackenzie. For a silly game!” The woman laughs again. “I’d enter it myself, but I can’t go more than twenty minutes without needing to pee.” She waits for Mack to laugh, too.
She’s still waiting as Mack slides out through the door, not even a whisper in her wake.
Everything about the shelter is designed to remind them that nothing is theirs. There are no lockers. No alcoves. No closets. No bedrooms. In a featureless box of a space, the ceiling looming so far overhead a bird lives in the beams, there are cots. Each has the same stiff white sheets and scratchy blankets. The area beneath the cots is to be kept clear at all times. They are not allowed to use the same cot more than two nights in a row. Anything not cleared by nine a.m. will be confiscated and thrown out, so they can’t even leave their meager possessions on the cot that is not theirs.
When the cots are all filled, Mack is as good as hidden. She’s small. She’s quiet. But now she feels as though a spotlight has been trained on her. Everyone else has already cleared out for the day. Some will go to whatever work they’ve found. Several will sit outside on the sidewalk until they’re allowed back in at four p.m. The rest, who knows. Mack doesn’t ask. Mack doesn’t tell. Because she goes somewhere she doesn’t want any of them to know about, either.
Hidden behind a half wall, choked with the scent of burning dust, an old water heater sizzles and rages. She has permanent shiny burns on her hands from where she scales the water heater, wedges herself between walls, and shimmies up.
Product details
- ASIN : B09DKDZQXT
- Publisher : Del Rey (May 24, 2022)
- Publication date : May 24, 2022
- Language : English
- File size : 5720 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 257 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #116,112 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #534 in Horror Suspense
- #1,278 in Paranormal Suspense
- #2,021 in Supernatural Thrillers (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Kiersten White is the #1 New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning, and critically acclaimed author of many books for readers of all ages, including the And I Darken trilogy, the Sinister Summer series, the Camelot Rising trilogy, Star Wars: Padawan, Hide, Mister Magic, and Lucy Undying. Her books have been published in over twenty territories, and her novel HIDE is currently in development with Universal Television and Peacock.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the story engaging with an interesting plot and supernatural twist. They appreciate the well-developed characters with distinct voices. The book is described as a fun, great read from start to finish. Readers describe the pacing as fast and steady. The survival theme is also mentioned as a stark allegory of power. However, opinions differ on the writing style - some find it well-written and easy to read, while others consider it tedious or poorly written. There are mixed reviews regarding the political content - some find it interesting and piecemeal, while others feel it's overly politicized.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers enjoy the story's interesting plot and engaging characters. They appreciate the supernatural twist and modern social issues that the book explores. The book is described as an addictive thriller with a creepy ending.
"...Intensely character-based, with elements of horror and the beauty of being human and finding your way back to choosing and wanting to live...." Read more
"...’s all this mystery (everyone is acting suspicious) and it’s just creepy enough to have you in suspense/on the edge of your seat...." Read more
"...The characters are relatable and the story is compelling...." Read more
"...short for my expectations based on the strong opening and the excellent scene setting. I feel there could have been room for so much more!..." Read more
Customers enjoy the well-developed characters with distinct voices. They find the characters interesting and memorable.
"...Intensely character-based, with elements of horror and the beauty of being human and finding your way back to choosing and wanting to live...." Read more
"...The characters are relatable and the story is compelling...." Read more
"...It started promising enough. The main character was believable and had an interesting backstory. I was very sympathetic toward her...." Read more
"...Also was confused sometimes and way too many minor characters that I couldn’t keep up with. Still a fun read though!" Read more
Customers enjoy the book. They find it fun and engaging from start to finish. The setting and characters are enjoyable. Some readers mention the book drags a bit in the middle, but overall they enjoy reading it at night or during Halloween.
"...I’m so sorry.” I loved this book, the social commentary simmering underneath, is a scream that sinks its fangs under your skin...." Read more
"Book was good entertainment, I don't read too many books but I found this one to be entertaining and kept me wanting to read it to what's about to..." Read more
"Hide is a different take on a simple kids game that takes a dark turn fast. The characters are relatable and the story is compelling...." Read more
"Struggled between a 3 and a 4 star rating. Was definitely a fun read, but I didn’t understand the ending. Maybe it was meant to be metaphorical?..." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's pacing. They find the suspense buildup steady and the ending gripping. The book is described as an entertaining read that keeps readers hooked until the end.
"...” by Shirley Jackson and movie, “The Hunger Games”with slow but steady suspense build up that reminded me of Alfred Hitchcock...." Read more
"...were a couple great twists I didn't see coming, and the conclusion kept me glued to my seat...." Read more
"Creepy and weird in the best way possible! I finished this weeks ago and am still thinking about it." Read more
"I the beginning of the book moves a little slow and almost made me lose interest but I’m glad I stuck with it because it turned out to be really good..." Read more
Customers find the book engaging. They mention it combines beauty and tragedy in an allegory of power. The book shows angst and has an interesting plot. While the ending is satisfying, some find the story sad and frightening.
"...beauty of being human and finding your way back to choosing and wanting to live...." Read more
"...Fear, death, fighting for survival. You get it all, wrapped up in amazing writing!!..." Read more
"...Sad and scary and an ending soooooo satisfying. I will read literally anything else this author has ever written." Read more
"...It seems very young adult / teen book to me. The book shows angst and has interesting plot." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the writing style. Some find it well-written, engaging, and easy to read. Others feel it's tedious, poorly written, and an insipid YA read. The narrative style takes some getting used to for some readers.
"...Through tremendously skilled writing, the layers of repercussions and consequences of the choices made by those who came before, only to leave..." Read more
"...only issue was within the last dozen or so pages it honestly felt like a re write...." Read more
"...I've read multiple books from her and think she's a great writer. If it had been marketed as YA, I probably would have enjoyed it more...." Read more
"...Overall, an insipid YA read." Read more
Customers have different views on the political content. Some find it interesting, piecemealing answers and turning tropes on their heads. Others find it boring and overly politicized.
"...Maybe it was meant to be metaphorical? I don’t know. It was an interesting concept, but I also felt the story flowed a little weirdly...." Read more
"...On a much smaller note. While it's not entirely politically opinionated. Only a few instances. Yet they were very intentional points...." Read more
"...wove the history and lore of this story together, piecemealing answers to keep us interested until everything finally comes together in the end...." Read more
"Injection of politics was unnecessary and detracted from the (very) limited amount of "horror"...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the book's execution. Some find it terrible and relatable, while others say it's poorly executed and feels unfinished.
"...next generation to fix and clean, is seen and felt and it’s magnificently terrible...." Read more
"...The ending is disappointing though. Feels unfinished. Maybe a Hide II is on the way?" Read more
"...The character development was absolutely on point, some hateable and some relatable...." Read more
"This book had an interesting premise, but was poorly executed...." Read more
Reviews with images
Chilling, Unique Story
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2022Hide by Kiersten White sucked me in from the first line to the viciously perfect end. What began as a skim of the beginning ended with me staying up waaaaay too late and waking up waaaay too early to consume this story in all of its glory. I knew from the dedication that this was going to be intense and it so is, it so perfectly is.
“To the youngest generations we’ve tasked with saving us all: You shouldn’t have to. I’m so sorry.”
I loved this book, the social commentary simmering underneath, is a scream that sinks its fangs under your skin. Intensely character-based, with elements of horror and the beauty of being human and finding your way back to choosing and wanting to live. It is found family, the sweetest subtle romance, friendship, and sacrifice.
“Just because she shouldn’t have to be so damn strong doesn’t mean that she isn’t.”
Through tremendously skilled writing, the layers of repercussions and consequences of the choices made by those who came before, only to leave behind a mess for the next generation to fix and clean, is seen and felt and it’s magnificently terrible. This book is one of my favorites of 2022 and will always have a place on my bookshelf. I am hopeful that this could be a movie someday. . .
The characters will live with me for ages and I’ll always be wondering what happens after the last page. Stupendous, intense, can’t recommend it enough. I’ve already thrown it at my family and told them to read it.
Also, Mack and Ava are everything. Throw in the friendships formed between characters, it’s just. . .chef’s kiss.
“But she doesn’t run for Ava. She runs toward Ava, trusting absolutely that Ava will be ready.”
- Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2023⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5-4)
* Hide-and-Seek Competition
* FMC is famously know for a dark past.
* Takes place in an abandoned theme park in the middle of nowhere (closest thing for miles is a VERY small town)
* Everyone has a story.
First off, can we talk about this cover?! 😍
I was so excited to read this one. I mean - a thriller that takes place in an abandoned theme park? Sign me up!
IMO: The first 1/2 - 2/3 was amazing! (I’d say 4.5-5 ⭐️s good!) I was truly enjoying it and had no idea where the storyline was going. There’s all this mystery (everyone is acting suspicious) and it’s just creepy enough to have you in suspense/on the edge of your seat.
But - and it pains me to write this - the last third just became so chaotic (like those memes where everyone is running around screaming, somethings on fire, and someone’s crying in the corner…it’s just a lot to absorb). When you finally realize what’s going on it felt a little out of left field. And then it just ends.
That’s not to say it’s ‘bad’- the writing is done well and the storyline is unique. It may be more a ‘me’ issue in the last part than the book itself. I may pick this one back up later for a reread and see if it sits differently in my 🧠.
Disclaimer Note: I finished this book towards the end of 2022 and wrote a short review, but I felt this one deserved a full review so here we are.
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5-4)
* Hide-and-Seek Competition
* FMC is famously know for a dark past.
* Takes place in an abandoned theme park in the middle of nowhere (closest thing for miles is a VERY small town)
* Everyone has a story.
First off, can we talk about this cover?! 😍
I was so excited to read this one. I mean - a thriller that takes place in an abandoned theme park? Sign me up!
IMO: The first 1/2 - 2/3 was amazing! (I’d say 4.5-5 ⭐️s good!) I was truly enjoying it and had no idea where the storyline was going. There’s all this mystery (everyone is acting suspicious) and it’s just creepy enough to have you in suspense/on the edge of your seat.
But - and it pains me to write this - the last third just became so chaotic (like those memes where everyone is running around screaming, somethings on fire, and someone’s crying in the corner…it’s just a lot to absorb). When you finally realize what’s going on it felt a little out of left field. And then it just ends.
That’s not to say it’s ‘bad’- the writing is done well and the storyline is unique. It may be more a ‘me’ issue in the last part than the book itself. I may pick this one back up later for a reread and see if it sits differently in my 🧠.
Disclaimer Note: I finished this book towards the end of 2022 and wrote a short review, but I felt this one deserved a full review so here we are.
Images in this review - Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2024Book was good entertainment, I don't read too many books but I found this one to be entertaining and kept me wanting to read it to what's about to happen. The storyline didn't go in the direction I thought it was going to go but it was still a good storyline. Recommended
- Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2024Hide is a different take on a simple kids game that takes a dark turn fast. The characters are relatable and the story is compelling. My one and only issue was within the last dozen or so pages it honestly felt like a re write. Like the author had an original direction but then changed it last minute. Granted it was still good, but none the less makes me wonder.
I would 100% recommend!
- Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2024Struggled between a 3 and a 4 star rating. Was definitely a fun read, but I didn’t understand the ending. Maybe it was meant to be metaphorical? I don’t know. It was an interesting concept, but I also felt the story flowed a little weirdly. Also was confused sometimes and way too many minor characters that I couldn’t keep up with. Still a fun read though!
Top reviews from other countries
- HorrorFanReviewed in Canada on June 7, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Get Novel
Exciting and well written. Loved the characters.
- Robert S.Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 26, 2024
4.0 out of 5 stars A fast-paced palate cleanser
I picked this up ready to spend a few days sat on trains and wanted a quick read. This was perfect for that.
It's a hide and seek thriller with a supernatural element and goes really hard into the chilling, creeping sense of dread as competitors start to vanish.
The pacing is fast, the descriptions are excellent and I really enjoyed the characters.
The reason this gets 4 instead of 5 stars is the ending. It's so abrupt that it really feels like a final "wrap-up" chapter is missing. I turned the page and all of a sudden it was the Acknowledgements section.
That being said I really enjoyed reading this and it got me through a few days of travelling. Would highly recommend for a fast-paced palate cleanser.
-
Marie-PierreReviewed in Canada on December 5, 2022
4.0 out of 5 stars Bonne histoire.
J’ai bien apprécié le moment ☺️
- Barbara MarshallReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 15, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Rollercoaster ride!
Wow - what a rollercoaster of a ride! Loved this book - exciting, plot driven and characters that you care about. Highly recommended!
- Jill JemmettReviewed in Canada on December 9, 2022
3.0 out of 5 stars A creepy story
Would you spend a week in an abandoned amusement park to win $50,000 dollars? That’s the challenge that Mack enters. She lives in a shelter and has nothing to lose, so she decides to enter the challenge along with thirteen other people. Each day the contestants must hide from the “seekers,” with two contestants being “out” each day. However, this is a much darker game than they predicted. They have to figure out how to hide so that they make it out alive.
This was such a psychologically creepy story. There wasn’t anything actually scary on the page for most of the story, but the threat of some unknown seeker gave the story a spooky atmosphere.
I wish there was more character development. There were three characters that had full backstories, but the other eleven contestants weren’t as well developed. It would have been helpful to even have a list of the contestants at the beginning so I could tell them apart. I had a higher opinion of this book when I read the acknowledgements at the end. Kiersten White tells her inspiration for writing this book, and it made me understand the terrifying atmosphere in this story.
Hide is a creepy horror story!