Clever Little Thing

Chilling, bizarre, intriguing, and creepy. Clever Little Thing is Helena Echlin’s clever book which had me guessing what was real, what was true, is this a possession, is what is happening due to a mental health diagnosis, etc. I enjoyed that I was never quite sure what was happening for most of the book.

Charlotte is a pregnant married woman with an intelligent, quirky, antisocial, and quick to tantrum, daughter, Stella. When Stella’s babysitter, Blanka dies suddenly, Charlotte notices changes in her daughter. Stella begins talking like Blanka, craves Armenian food, and wants meat even though she was raised vegetarian. Charlotte’s husband does not see anything wrong with Stella’s changes, but Charlotte can’t help but be unnerved and become obsessed by them.

This book was a bit of a slow burn, and I struggle with slow burns. What I did enjoy was not knowing if Stella was possessed, was Charlotte imagining things, was Stella just mourning her deceased babysitter by trying to be like her? I thought this was very well done.
I also wrestled with who was more troubled, Charlotte or Stella? Both had times where I questioned their actions and behaviors.

I enjoyed the unsettling feel of this book with its creepy undertones. There were a few twists and revelations in this book which I did not see coming. This book touches on motherhood, marriage, loss, relationships, and mental health.

This book is well written, well thought out, and kept me guessing. While I enjoyed this book and found it to be clever, it was missing that little bit of something that would push my rating higher.

Thank you to Pamela Dorman Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.