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The Hidden Girls
Longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger 2021
How does the saying go? Just because you’re paranoid, it doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you . . .
For Ruth, a new mother recovering from postpartum psychosis, every day is difficult and, after months spent hearing voices in the walls and trusting no one, she’s no longer confident in her own judgement. Neither, it seems, is anyone else.
So, when she hears a scream from the local petrol station one night, she initially decides it must be her mind playing tricks again. The police, too, are polite but she must stop calling them every time she thinks she hears something. And her husband is frustrated; he’d hoped Ruth was getting better at last.
Ruth can’t quite let it go . . . What if there was a scream? What if it was someone in trouble? Someone who needs Ruth’s help?
Exploring the dark and isolating side of motherhood, the question at the heart of Rebecca Whitney's The Hidden Girls is how much you can help someone else when you can’t trust anyone – even yourself . . .
How does the saying go? Just because you’re paranoid, it doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you . . .
For Ruth, a new mother recovering from postpartum psychosis, every day is difficult and, after months spent hearing voices in the walls and trusting no one, she’s no longer confident in her own judgement. Neither, it seems, is anyone else.
So, when she hears a scream from the local petrol station one night, she initially decides it must be her mind playing tricks again. The police, too, are polite but she must stop calling them every time she thinks she hears something. And her husband is frustrated; he’d hoped Ruth was getting better at last.
Ruth can’t quite let it go . . . What if there was a scream? What if it was someone in trouble? Someone who needs Ruth’s help?
Exploring the dark and isolating side of motherhood, the question at the heart of Rebecca Whitney's The Hidden Girls is how much you can help someone else when you can’t trust anyone – even yourself . . .
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First published May 14, 2020
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About the author
Rebecca Whitney
5 books55 followersHello, and thanks for visiting my Goodreads author page.
I have written two novels - THE LIAR'S CHAIR (2015) which was chosen for the Loose Women book club, and THE HIDDEN GIRLS (31 Dec 2020), published by Mantle / Macmillan. Both books deal with what I call 'the devil in the domestic' although my starting point is always a deep fascination with what makes ordinary people do the things they do, especially actions that are morally questionable. I’m just plain nosy.
My writing career didn’t begin until my forties, but looking back, I’ve always told stories in one form or another, I simply never imagined a career as a writer. During a degree in Creative Arts, I used narratives in my performance work, film and photography. On moving to London, I worked at Creation Records (the pre-Oasis years) then moved into film and TV production on music videos, commercials and documentaries, starting as tea-girl and ending up an executive producer - I was once honoured with the job of powdering Leigh Bowery’s face before he went on set, a later project involved sourcing a cargo plane to fly film-stock out of Tirana during the war in Kosovo. But it wasn’t until after having children that I went back to study creative writing to see if I had a book in me, and realised I had many more stories I wanted to tell.
I also teach creative writing, and have held characterisation workshops for Guardian Masterclasses, the Creative Writing Programme and Beach Hut Writing Academy, as well as holding poetry workshops for the YMCA. I work as an editor and mentor for emerging writers too. My short stories have been published in S-Magazine and shortlisted for the Bridport and Fish competitions, and my features have appeared in The Independent, Psychologies and Buzzfeed amongst others. I've spoken at events nationwide including Bloody Scotland, CrimeFest and the Isle of Wight Literary Festival. And very occasionally I DJ at music festivals.
Insta: @rebeccajwhitney
Spotify: rebeccajwhitney
Facebook: Rebecca Whitney
I have written two novels - THE LIAR'S CHAIR (2015) which was chosen for the Loose Women book club, and THE HIDDEN GIRLS (31 Dec 2020), published by Mantle / Macmillan. Both books deal with what I call 'the devil in the domestic' although my starting point is always a deep fascination with what makes ordinary people do the things they do, especially actions that are morally questionable. I’m just plain nosy.
My writing career didn’t begin until my forties, but looking back, I’ve always told stories in one form or another, I simply never imagined a career as a writer. During a degree in Creative Arts, I used narratives in my performance work, film and photography. On moving to London, I worked at Creation Records (the pre-Oasis years) then moved into film and TV production on music videos, commercials and documentaries, starting as tea-girl and ending up an executive producer - I was once honoured with the job of powdering Leigh Bowery’s face before he went on set, a later project involved sourcing a cargo plane to fly film-stock out of Tirana during the war in Kosovo. But it wasn’t until after having children that I went back to study creative writing to see if I had a book in me, and realised I had many more stories I wanted to tell.
I also teach creative writing, and have held characterisation workshops for Guardian Masterclasses, the Creative Writing Programme and Beach Hut Writing Academy, as well as holding poetry workshops for the YMCA. I work as an editor and mentor for emerging writers too. My short stories have been published in S-Magazine and shortlisted for the Bridport and Fish competitions, and my features have appeared in The Independent, Psychologies and Buzzfeed amongst others. I've spoken at events nationwide including Bloody Scotland, CrimeFest and the Isle of Wight Literary Festival. And very occasionally I DJ at music festivals.
Insta: @rebeccajwhitney
Spotify: rebeccajwhitney
Facebook: Rebecca Whitney
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
March 14, 2021
So many books has been written where strange things happen, someone’s paranoid or seeing things that aren’t there or actually hearing things that aren’t real.
Trying to get the reader to buy into the thoughts of, is this real or not that the character is feeling.....
Or....is it real.....is it sinister......is it imagination or someone tormenting them.
This is added with mental illness.
Personally I’ve gone from appreciating these type of “excuses” or “reasons” conveniently for a thriller.
I think it’s sometimes really not a good advert for supporting those with mental health.
Some authors can do it passingly well, others cannot.
The blurb was what tempted me.
Trying to get the reader to buy into the thoughts of, is this real or not that the character is feeling.....
Or....is it real.....is it sinister......is it imagination or someone tormenting them.
This is added with mental illness.
Personally I’ve gone from appreciating these type of “excuses” or “reasons” conveniently for a thriller.
I think it’s sometimes really not a good advert for supporting those with mental health.
Some authors can do it passingly well, others cannot.
The blurb was what tempted me.
January 3, 2021
Thanks to NetGalley and Pan McMillian UK for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.
Intriguing premise but it all unravelled in the last few chapters. The trope of a female protagonist not being believed by all those around her because she struggles with her mental health is still interesting enough for me to choose those types of stories. But I didn't like those few chapters and well, I can't forgive how much of an asshole so many of these people were to the character.
Goodreads Publication date 31/12/20
Goodreads review 03/01/21
#TheHiddenGirls #NetGalley
Intriguing premise but it all unravelled in the last few chapters. The trope of a female protagonist not being believed by all those around her because she struggles with her mental health is still interesting enough for me to choose those types of stories. But I didn't like those few chapters and well, I can't forgive how much of an asshole so many of these people were to the character.
Goodreads Publication date 31/12/20
Goodreads review 03/01/21
#TheHiddenGirls #NetGalley
March 30, 2020
Ruth had just been diagnosed with postpartum psychosis after the birth of her daughter. She starts to see and see strange things. She sees women coming from below the ground and being put into a van. Ruth imagined all sort of things, it's part of her illness.
This is another story that has a long build up. It showed so much potential when I read the blurb. Even after I had finished the book I felt it was a it flat, as if I was needing some kind of closure. Even the epilogue didn't justify. I'm sure many other readers will enjoy this book.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Pan Macmillan and the author Rebecca Whitney for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is another story that has a long build up. It showed so much potential when I read the blurb. Even after I had finished the book I felt it was a it flat, as if I was needing some kind of closure. Even the epilogue didn't justify. I'm sure many other readers will enjoy this book.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Pan Macmillan and the author Rebecca Whitney for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 25, 2022
This read has an unexpected outcome with a good news ending for the main character, Ruth who initially experiences self loathing and a decline in her mental health.
It only takes a small comment from a stranger for Ruth to experience a parting of the clouds of self loathing. Trauma during and since the birth of Bess has left Ruth with the inability to manage her life and she has been experiencing hallucinations mostly formed from hearing noises that are not there. However, all this has a deep seated past with her parents blaming her for the death of her sister, Tam, the one they had invested so much faith in, a daughter that was highly intelligent and popular with everyone; Ruth on the other hand seemed to hardly ever get a look in. Both parents had blamed her for the death of Tam well into her young adult life but Ruth had coped with their accusations and had been able to move on and have a successful career and marry her great love, Giles. Sadly this all unraveled with the birth of Bess and she suffered badly with PTSD and depression. She suffered memory loss, was unable to complete the smallest of tasks and the house became a disaster. Medications prescribed had some positive results with the hallucinations declining. Sadly though when the phone calls started with a voice saying it was Tam, Ruth begins to question the truth of her dying. Events like this had to be kept secret from Giles and neighbour friend Sandra as any mention would reinforce their belief that she was still mentally unstable.
It was at one point that Ruth, unable to sleep, spies unusual activity at the recently converted servo now a car wash that begins to have increased anxieties about herself and concerns that she is hallucinating again. It wasn't until Sandra's mother in law Frieda about this time made a comment to Ruth that she too had observed the unusual and worrying activities at the car wash. Police are called only for Frieda to deny what she had said to Ruth leaving Ruth in the unenviable position of everyone believing that her mental health was heading downwards again. Added to all this she receives a stern warning from Police that her many calls to them are now at a point where she will be fined.
Ruth involuntarily becomes involved with Frieda when delivering a parcel that was left at Ruth's home. She finds herself beguiled by this older woman, her home has that warm comfortable safety about it that is so missing in Ruth's life. However, she tries to avoid Frieda, taking note of Sandra's beforehand warnings about her mother in law as being weird. Weird is something Ruth does not need at this moment in her life. As events move on, Frieda is taken to hospital for which Ruth is asked to feed her old cat that doesn't leave the safety of an upstairs bedroom. She has a key but taking into account Sandra's feelings about Frieda, Ruth has to make her way into the house without alerting her or husband Liam. On entering the house Ruth is confronted by Frieda's secret, one that pushes the boundaries even further for Ruth. Added to all this, Liam, Frieda's son not being able to get into his mother's house becomes violent trying to break-in much to the concern of Ruth who wonders why there is such an urgency. After a locksmith has been called and the house ransacked, Ruth in picking through the devastation finds the proof she needs of the car wash activities that puts her ever so nice neighbours into the frame.
Her marriage to Giles has wavered, Ruth, Frieda and "the surprise" Leila, move on with their lives, three friends tied together by the events they have all experienced.
It only takes a small comment from a stranger for Ruth to experience a parting of the clouds of self loathing. Trauma during and since the birth of Bess has left Ruth with the inability to manage her life and she has been experiencing hallucinations mostly formed from hearing noises that are not there. However, all this has a deep seated past with her parents blaming her for the death of her sister, Tam, the one they had invested so much faith in, a daughter that was highly intelligent and popular with everyone; Ruth on the other hand seemed to hardly ever get a look in. Both parents had blamed her for the death of Tam well into her young adult life but Ruth had coped with their accusations and had been able to move on and have a successful career and marry her great love, Giles. Sadly this all unraveled with the birth of Bess and she suffered badly with PTSD and depression. She suffered memory loss, was unable to complete the smallest of tasks and the house became a disaster. Medications prescribed had some positive results with the hallucinations declining. Sadly though when the phone calls started with a voice saying it was Tam, Ruth begins to question the truth of her dying. Events like this had to be kept secret from Giles and neighbour friend Sandra as any mention would reinforce their belief that she was still mentally unstable.
It was at one point that Ruth, unable to sleep, spies unusual activity at the recently converted servo now a car wash that begins to have increased anxieties about herself and concerns that she is hallucinating again. It wasn't until Sandra's mother in law Frieda about this time made a comment to Ruth that she too had observed the unusual and worrying activities at the car wash. Police are called only for Frieda to deny what she had said to Ruth leaving Ruth in the unenviable position of everyone believing that her mental health was heading downwards again. Added to all this she receives a stern warning from Police that her many calls to them are now at a point where she will be fined.
Ruth involuntarily becomes involved with Frieda when delivering a parcel that was left at Ruth's home. She finds herself beguiled by this older woman, her home has that warm comfortable safety about it that is so missing in Ruth's life. However, she tries to avoid Frieda, taking note of Sandra's beforehand warnings about her mother in law as being weird. Weird is something Ruth does not need at this moment in her life. As events move on, Frieda is taken to hospital for which Ruth is asked to feed her old cat that doesn't leave the safety of an upstairs bedroom. She has a key but taking into account Sandra's feelings about Frieda, Ruth has to make her way into the house without alerting her or husband Liam. On entering the house Ruth is confronted by Frieda's secret, one that pushes the boundaries even further for Ruth. Added to all this, Liam, Frieda's son not being able to get into his mother's house becomes violent trying to break-in much to the concern of Ruth who wonders why there is such an urgency. After a locksmith has been called and the house ransacked, Ruth in picking through the devastation finds the proof she needs of the car wash activities that puts her ever so nice neighbours into the frame.
Her marriage to Giles has wavered, Ruth, Frieda and "the surprise" Leila, move on with their lives, three friends tied together by the events they have all experienced.
November 23, 2022
Flojo, muy flojo. Con un final apresurado y mal hilado.
February 4, 2021
I wanted to like this book, I really did.
In general I try and stay away from psychological thrillers, I find that classifying a book as a psychological thriller often become a reason for an author to capitalize on a mental health issue (and 999/1000 times a woman’s mental health issue) and make it into a story line. I’m not a fan of this, it can be avoided and I just have a tough time getting through books that are normalizing the idea that mental health issues make you “crazy” which I am against.
HOWEVER, my issues with the genre and storyline aside I found this book predictable (although I read so many thrillers it may just be me!!) and I wish they wouldn’t have jumped from before the big reveal to after the big reveal without spending any time on the actual reveal.
This is another book where I would love to read a different book by this author and see if I liked her writing style in a different novel, because I do think she did a good job of tying up loose ends and that’s the fatal flaw in most thrillers so that’s a big plus for this one!
In general I try and stay away from psychological thrillers, I find that classifying a book as a psychological thriller often become a reason for an author to capitalize on a mental health issue (and 999/1000 times a woman’s mental health issue) and make it into a story line. I’m not a fan of this, it can be avoided and I just have a tough time getting through books that are normalizing the idea that mental health issues make you “crazy” which I am against.
HOWEVER, my issues with the genre and storyline aside I found this book predictable (although I read so many thrillers it may just be me!!) and I wish they wouldn’t have jumped from before the big reveal to after the big reveal without spending any time on the actual reveal.
This is another book where I would love to read a different book by this author and see if I liked her writing style in a different novel, because I do think she did a good job of tying up loose ends and that’s the fatal flaw in most thrillers so that’s a big plus for this one!
October 13, 2021
Esparaba más. La idea es buena pero no me gustó como se desarrolla la historia, ni el final.
May 19, 2020
The Hidden Girls is a psychological thriller by Rebecca Whitney centring on post-partum depression and psychosis. This is the author's second novel and I found it to be an extremely satisfying read. New mother Ruth Woodman is struggling with the demands of her new baby girl, Bess, as well as trying to cope with the trauma of a damaged childhood following the death of her sister, Tam, when they were children. Very early one morning she hears wild and high-pitched screaming but can't decide if her sleep-starved brain is tricking her or if the shrieking noise is real. As husband Giles tries to be supportive, the police politely advise her stop calling them each time she believes she has heard the screams. But is someone genuinely shouting for Ruth's help?
In Rebecca Whitney's rakishly woven novel the reader is buried under a pile of assumptions, questionable truths and distortions. What ensues is a compulsive and dark mystery, complemented by a fresh approach to the darker side of motherhood trope. Rebecca Whitney has written a provocative, original tale with pitch-perfect plotting and measured prose. To my mind, The Hidden Girls is a corker of a story and I liked that it has an epilogue, rather than a more classic cat-and-mouse style finale, as the reader gets to unravel some of the details for themselves from the intimations it contains. This story certainly kept me guessing, with one particular question demanding an answer: who to trust and believe?
I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Pan Macmillan/ Mantle via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.
In Rebecca Whitney's rakishly woven novel the reader is buried under a pile of assumptions, questionable truths and distortions. What ensues is a compulsive and dark mystery, complemented by a fresh approach to the darker side of motherhood trope. Rebecca Whitney has written a provocative, original tale with pitch-perfect plotting and measured prose. To my mind, The Hidden Girls is a corker of a story and I liked that it has an epilogue, rather than a more classic cat-and-mouse style finale, as the reader gets to unravel some of the details for themselves from the intimations it contains. This story certainly kept me guessing, with one particular question demanding an answer: who to trust and believe?
I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Pan Macmillan/ Mantle via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.
October 15, 2021
I found this book quite boring a lot of talk and no action
March 27, 2024
Review to follow, all I can say is the author did exemplary research into this mental health condition.
October 26, 2021
"Cuándo estás arriba del todo, si saltas sales volando. Durante unos segundos, antes de llegar al suelo, eres completamente libre".
(2,5 estrellas). He acabado este libro con la sensación de que me falta información. La autora ha querido ser tan intrigante durante toda la narración que, creo, se ha dejado detalles importantes por aclararnos. Obviamente no voy a ponerme aquí a desentrañar uno a uno porque sería destriparos el libro, pero no sé, la sensación una vez que he pasado la última página y he cerrado el libro ha sido algo así como, ¿ya está? ¿Esto es todo lo que nos vas a contar sobre el asunto?
La historia en sí no es mala de hecho, tiene tintes de realidad tan grandes que podría estar pasando ahora mismo en cualquier parte del mundo. Está narrada en tercera persona y así y todo en ocasiones consigues sentir el agobio, la angustia, el miedo y hasta el frío que siente nuestra protagonista, pero con todo y con eso se me ha quedado corta.
He visto venir desde el principio todo lo que iba a ocurrir, incluso antes de abrir el libro. Leyendo la sinopsis únicamente te imaginas por dónde van los tiros y oye, no me equivoqué, así que os aconsejo que si finalmente os decidís a leerlo lo hagáis sin ni siquiera mirar la sinopsis.
A ratos se me ha hecho un pelín lento, no aburrido, pero sí que necesitaba que pasase algo porque hay páginas y páginas del día a día de la protagonista donde se repiten ciertas pautas cotidianas que no aportan demasiado a la trama.
El desenlace, ya os digo, es muy precipitado. En una página se descubre la clave que, repito, se ve venir desde el principio y en la siguiente página prácticamente tenemos el final. Un final que, a mí al menos, me ha decepcionado por todo lo que os cuento. Una pena.
(2,5 estrellas). He acabado este libro con la sensación de que me falta información. La autora ha querido ser tan intrigante durante toda la narración que, creo, se ha dejado detalles importantes por aclararnos. Obviamente no voy a ponerme aquí a desentrañar uno a uno porque sería destriparos el libro, pero no sé, la sensación una vez que he pasado la última página y he cerrado el libro ha sido algo así como, ¿ya está? ¿Esto es todo lo que nos vas a contar sobre el asunto?
La historia en sí no es mala de hecho, tiene tintes de realidad tan grandes que podría estar pasando ahora mismo en cualquier parte del mundo. Está narrada en tercera persona y así y todo en ocasiones consigues sentir el agobio, la angustia, el miedo y hasta el frío que siente nuestra protagonista, pero con todo y con eso se me ha quedado corta.
He visto venir desde el principio todo lo que iba a ocurrir, incluso antes de abrir el libro. Leyendo la sinopsis únicamente te imaginas por dónde van los tiros y oye, no me equivoqué, así que os aconsejo que si finalmente os decidís a leerlo lo hagáis sin ni siquiera mirar la sinopsis.
A ratos se me ha hecho un pelín lento, no aburrido, pero sí que necesitaba que pasase algo porque hay páginas y páginas del día a día de la protagonista donde se repiten ciertas pautas cotidianas que no aportan demasiado a la trama.
El desenlace, ya os digo, es muy precipitado. En una página se descubre la clave que, repito, se ve venir desde el principio y en la siguiente página prácticamente tenemos el final. Un final que, a mí al menos, me ha decepcionado por todo lo que os cuento. Una pena.
October 24, 2021
La historia está narrada en tercera persona y protagonizada por Ruth.
La trama gira en torno a esta protagonista donde tiene una enfermedad mental y es que sufre de psicosis postparto. Esto hará que su marido ponga en duda todo lo que Ruth asegura haber visto y oído.
El libro se desarrolla muy lento apesar de que sea una buena trama y la idea sea llamativa. La mayoría de las páginas se centran en la enfermedad de Ruth y apenas hay diálogo ya que son casi todo descripciones. Se me hizo muy pesado todo esto porque de 380 páginas que tiene el libro se podría haber escrito en 100.
Por los personajes tampoco se salva, Ruth sí que me gustó y conseguí empatizar pero su marido Giles… esque no pude con él. No tiene ningún sentido esa relación ni la manera en como la trata y como la pone en duda e incluso la amenaza con la niña porque está enferma. Esto me puso de muy mal humor y consiguió que sintiera muchísimo rechazo por Giles.
El final y los culpables de lo que ocurría lo adiviné así que el efecto sorpresa de un thriller no lo tuve para nada. Esto hizo que se desinflara todavía más mi interés por seguir leyendo.
La pluma no está mal pero eché en falta un poco más de diálogo y menos páginas de relleno que considero que eclipsaron la idea principal del libro.
Un thriller flojo que si no te has estrenado con el género puede que te guste pero si eres de leer este tipo de libros dudo que te sorprenda.
La trama gira en torno a esta protagonista donde tiene una enfermedad mental y es que sufre de psicosis postparto. Esto hará que su marido ponga en duda todo lo que Ruth asegura haber visto y oído.
El libro se desarrolla muy lento apesar de que sea una buena trama y la idea sea llamativa. La mayoría de las páginas se centran en la enfermedad de Ruth y apenas hay diálogo ya que son casi todo descripciones. Se me hizo muy pesado todo esto porque de 380 páginas que tiene el libro se podría haber escrito en 100.
Por los personajes tampoco se salva, Ruth sí que me gustó y conseguí empatizar pero su marido Giles… esque no pude con él. No tiene ningún sentido esa relación ni la manera en como la trata y como la pone en duda e incluso la amenaza con la niña porque está enferma. Esto me puso de muy mal humor y consiguió que sintiera muchísimo rechazo por Giles.
El final y los culpables de lo que ocurría lo adiviné así que el efecto sorpresa de un thriller no lo tuve para nada. Esto hizo que se desinflara todavía más mi interés por seguir leyendo.
La pluma no está mal pero eché en falta un poco más de diálogo y menos páginas de relleno que considero que eclipsaron la idea principal del libro.
Un thriller flojo que si no te has estrenado con el género puede que te guste pero si eres de leer este tipo de libros dudo que te sorprenda.
December 25, 2021
De los géneros de la novela negra, el domestic noir es el que quizá menos me atrape y eso es en muchas ocasiones debido a que las tramas me recuerdan a las típicas películas de televisión de fin de semana.
En este caso es lo que me ha pasado. Unos personajes muy superficiales con los que no he empatizado en ningún momento y una trama previsible que prometía dar un giro pero cuyo desenlace es de lo más básico.
Estamos ante la historia de Ruth una mujer que sufre psicosis postparto y empieza a tener una serie de visiones sobre cosas que están sucediendo en su vecindario. ¿Realmente algo está ocurriendo o es producto de su enfermedad?
Todas las novelas de este tipo que ponen de protagonistas a mujeres con dificultades en la maternidad me parecen cortadas por el mismo patrón. No se profundiza y parece todo un culebrón. Además el resto de personajes que las rodean arrastran siempre los mismos clichés.
Y creo que es un subgénero que da bastante juego porque al final es lo más cercano a nuestras vidas cotidianas pero aún no he encontrado una historia que esté bien escrita o bien abordada desde la psicología de los personajes. Quizá en su momento “la chica del tren” si me pareció un buen ejemplo de ello.
En definitiva, un libro que suspende y que no ha conseguido sorprenderme en ningún momento.
July 29, 2021
Review to come.
June 23, 2025
¿Me ha parecido un libro horrible? No, pero ni era lo que me esperaba, ni cumplió las expectativas, incluso me planteé abandonarlo en algún punto de la lectura. Al final ha resultado un libro entretenido, pero poco más.
Una chica que escucha ruidos en las paredes, gritos que nadie más oye, ve cosas que nadie más parece ver… tenía muy buena pinta, pero todo lo que atrae de la sinopsis son migajas en el desarrollo de una historia que tira por otros derroteros.
🔻 Para empezar, no creo que entre dentro de la categoría de thriller, quizás tiene un punto, pero realmente es un libro que gira en torno a la credibilidad de la protagonista y a como su entorno la estigmatiza por la situación que está viviendo. Y ese es el primer punto negativo, se vende como algo que no es.
🔻 Segundo punto negativo para la temática, pero esto era inevitable. Hay ciertos temas sensibles sobre los que no me gusta leer, a veces son evidentes por la sinopsis y puedo evitarlos, y otras veces no, y afectan mucho a mi percepción del libro. No voy a decir de qué va, porque sería un pedazo de spoiler, pero toca uno de esos temas sobre los que no me gusta leer y eso también ha influido en que no pueda disfrutarlo.
🔻 Tercer punto negativo para el ritmo de la historia, muy lento hasta que pasa la mitad del libro. Reconozco que el último tramo mejora bastante, pero a mí no me compensó.
✅ Y el punto positivo que me hizo no abandonar la lectura fue Ruth, la protagonista. Al principio cuesta hacerse con ella, pero el desarrollo del personaje hace que empatices con su situación, y el hecho de que el resto de personajes sean insoportables, también ayuda.
⚠️Todas las valoraciones vertidas en este espacio son personales. Cada lector es un mundo con gustos propios, y se agradece respeto y tolerancia por las opiniones diferentes. Gracias.
Una chica que escucha ruidos en las paredes, gritos que nadie más oye, ve cosas que nadie más parece ver… tenía muy buena pinta, pero todo lo que atrae de la sinopsis son migajas en el desarrollo de una historia que tira por otros derroteros.
🔻 Para empezar, no creo que entre dentro de la categoría de thriller, quizás tiene un punto, pero realmente es un libro que gira en torno a la credibilidad de la protagonista y a como su entorno la estigmatiza por la situación que está viviendo. Y ese es el primer punto negativo, se vende como algo que no es.
🔻 Segundo punto negativo para la temática, pero esto era inevitable. Hay ciertos temas sensibles sobre los que no me gusta leer, a veces son evidentes por la sinopsis y puedo evitarlos, y otras veces no, y afectan mucho a mi percepción del libro. No voy a decir de qué va, porque sería un pedazo de spoiler, pero toca uno de esos temas sobre los que no me gusta leer y eso también ha influido en que no pueda disfrutarlo.
🔻 Tercer punto negativo para el ritmo de la historia, muy lento hasta que pasa la mitad del libro. Reconozco que el último tramo mejora bastante, pero a mí no me compensó.
✅ Y el punto positivo que me hizo no abandonar la lectura fue Ruth, la protagonista. Al principio cuesta hacerse con ella, pero el desarrollo del personaje hace que empatices con su situación, y el hecho de que el resto de personajes sean insoportables, también ayuda.
⚠️Todas las valoraciones vertidas en este espacio son personales. Cada lector es un mundo con gustos propios, y se agradece respeto y tolerancia por las opiniones diferentes. Gracias.
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February 13, 2020The Hidden Girls is a psychological thriller set around post-partum depression and psychosis. Ruth is a new mother, struggling with the demands of a new baby and the trauma of a damaged childhood after the death of her sister when they were children. Her anxiety leads her to imagine and see things that aren’t there. Her husband is trying to be understanding but getting increasingly frustrated with coping with her ‘unreliability’ and worries about her possibly hurting the baby. The police are tired of her ringing them with ‘imagined’ intruders and events, to the point that they warn her the next time she calls them, she will be hit with a hefty fine. But what happens when she actually does see something? Something that makes no sense but is definitely sinister? But no-one believes her, and Ruth starts doubting herself that she actually has seen anything at all.
- Leanne
- Leanne
November 26, 2022
The main character was just so frustrating I found it hard to finish. A typical "boy who cried wolf" concept, where the outcome is obvious and the reader is always ten steps ahead of the protagonist.
June 16, 2023
Slow yet suspenseful. It lacked in some plot and fleshy characters but had enough to keep me turning the page.
May 9, 2020
In 2014, Rebecca Whitney wrote her debut novel The Liar’s Chair. It is a clever psychological thriller which looked at an abusive and controlling marriage. While I agree there were a few places where the plot stumbled, as a whole the story was extremely well done and made for a satisfying read. In her new book, these plot stumbles have been patched up. The Hidden Girls is another psychological thriller but this time set around post-partum depression and psychosis. Ruth is a new mother, struggled with the demands of a new baby and the trauma of a damaged childhood after the death of her sister when they were children. Her anxiety leads her to imagine and see things that aren’t there. Her husband is struggling and getting increasingly frustrated with coping with her ‘unreliability’ and worries about her possibly hurting the baby. The police are tired of her ringing them with ‘imagined’ intruders and events, to the point that they warn her the next time she calls them, she will be hit with a hefty fine. But what happens when she actually does see something? Something that makes no sense but is definitely sinister? But no-one believes her, and Ruth starts doubting herself that she actually has seen anything at all. Some reviewers haven’t liked the fact that it has an epilogue, rather than a classic ‘chase and capture’, but in this case, I actually prefer the author‘s way of letting the reader unravel the details themselves from the clues in the epilogue
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January 7, 2022
Ruth es una madre primeriza que lo está pasando mal tras sufrir una psicosis post parto. Escucha voces que salen de las paredes y no sabe de quien fiarse. Intenta ser una buena madre pero Giles,si marido, parece reprocharle todo.
Pero un día oye un grito en la gasolinera del barrio y empieza a ver cosas extrañas. Su marido y la policía creen que se lo inventa por su psicosis y ella ya no sabe que creer, ni siquiera en sí misma.
Es un thriller lento en el que no vemos grandes sucesos pero lo intrigante es ver como ve Ruth su mundo. Pensar todo el tiempo el por qué oye esas voces y sobre todo dudar continuamente de qué es real y qué no.
La trama es muy interesante y a veces lo pasas mal porque no sabes si está loca o la están haciendo que lo crea. La verdad que me ha gustado mucho, aunque el final más o menos me lo esperaba. Eso sí, hay cosas que no se han aclarado y me ha dejado con la duda.
Pero es un thriller doméstico y psicológico muy entretenido y ágil que gustará a los amantes de este género.
Pero un día oye un grito en la gasolinera del barrio y empieza a ver cosas extrañas. Su marido y la policía creen que se lo inventa por su psicosis y ella ya no sabe que creer, ni siquiera en sí misma.
Es un thriller lento en el que no vemos grandes sucesos pero lo intrigante es ver como ve Ruth su mundo. Pensar todo el tiempo el por qué oye esas voces y sobre todo dudar continuamente de qué es real y qué no.
La trama es muy interesante y a veces lo pasas mal porque no sabes si está loca o la están haciendo que lo crea. La verdad que me ha gustado mucho, aunque el final más o menos me lo esperaba. Eso sí, hay cosas que no se han aclarado y me ha dejado con la duda.
Pero es un thriller doméstico y psicológico muy entretenido y ágil que gustará a los amantes de este género.
May 30, 2021
I was SO deeply invested in this book with the discussion of post partum psycosis at it's core. This is something I've never suffered with, but absolutely feel it needs to be included and discussed more. The writing is so clever and fluid; going back and forth between timeliness without you even realising. Absolutely stunning.
For me, the books a disappointing turn (as a lot of good thrillers do) when the 'big reveal' happened. After investing 300 pages to the story, the details were disclosed in a matter of paragraphs and this always leaves me feeling truly deflated. I want more. I want loose ends tied up, details to back up character's decisions and generally just a bit of history to what I've read. Does that make sense?
I genuinely did really enjoy the book and would reccomend to others looking for a psychological thriller. Thank you to Panmacmillan for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review
For me, the books a disappointing turn (as a lot of good thrillers do) when the 'big reveal' happened. After investing 300 pages to the story, the details were disclosed in a matter of paragraphs and this always leaves me feeling truly deflated. I want more. I want loose ends tied up, details to back up character's decisions and generally just a bit of history to what I've read. Does that make sense?
I genuinely did really enjoy the book and would reccomend to others looking for a psychological thriller. Thank you to Panmacmillan for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review
February 16, 2022
“Es muy posible que dar a luz pudiera hacerle sufrir otro episodio psicótico, pero, aunque no fuera así, entonces ese camino tan duro y solitario en el que se encuentra Ruth no tendría un final a la vista”. ~ Las chicas ocultas de Rebecca Whitney.
Ruth y su marido Giles viven en una casa con su hija recién nacida Bless. Ruth está diagnosticada con depresión postparto y lleva meses intentando salir adelante pero escucha voces en las paredes –que le recuerdan a su hermana fallecida cuando eran adolescentes–, escucha gritos en la noche y ve personas escondiéndose en las alcantarillas por las noches. Visiones que todos consideran que se deben a su situación y que van “solucionando” con medicación.
Libro de los catalogados como “domestic noir” y que yo llamo “tenemos problemas en casa”. Un charco con letras mayúsculas porque no tiene nada: ni intriga, ni misterio, plano, aburrido, previsible y con unos personajes que ni personajes son. Vamos, que lo he leído porque en mi confinamiento no tenia nada que perder pero en circunstancias normales ya no hubiese pasado de la página 50.
Podría haber sido una buena historia pero no ha conseguido que logre empatizar con Ruth ni con su angustia por sentirse desbordada por la situación. Una pena porque el tema de fondo es bueno para visibilizar y crear conciencia pero está contado de tal manera que me ha provocado el efecto contrario.
Ruth y su marido Giles viven en una casa con su hija recién nacida Bless. Ruth está diagnosticada con depresión postparto y lleva meses intentando salir adelante pero escucha voces en las paredes –que le recuerdan a su hermana fallecida cuando eran adolescentes–, escucha gritos en la noche y ve personas escondiéndose en las alcantarillas por las noches. Visiones que todos consideran que se deben a su situación y que van “solucionando” con medicación.
Libro de los catalogados como “domestic noir” y que yo llamo “tenemos problemas en casa”. Un charco con letras mayúsculas porque no tiene nada: ni intriga, ni misterio, plano, aburrido, previsible y con unos personajes que ni personajes son. Vamos, que lo he leído porque en mi confinamiento no tenia nada que perder pero en circunstancias normales ya no hubiese pasado de la página 50.
Podría haber sido una buena historia pero no ha conseguido que logre empatizar con Ruth ni con su angustia por sentirse desbordada por la situación. Una pena porque el tema de fondo es bueno para visibilizar y crear conciencia pero está contado de tal manera que me ha provocado el efecto contrario.
September 17, 2023
No me puedo creer que me haya leído toda esta porquería.
Empezó bien. Parecía tener futuro. Me metí en la locura de Ruth por un momento, pero había tantas cosas que no encajaban que empecé a dudar de que el libro tuviera sentido. Y no lo tiene!
Casi todo lo importante es omitido. Ruth le enseña algo a Giles y las consecuencias de ese acto no se muestran. Qué demonios pasó después? Nadie lo sabe con certeza porque lo que hace la autora es darnos fragmentos sueltos de conversaciones y hechos, pero eso sí, nos habla con detalle sobre en funeral de un tipo que ni aparece en la historia y sobre los programas de televisión que ve uno de los personajes 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬. Me frustra cuando leo un libro tan mal contado.
Empezó bien. Parecía tener futuro. Me metí en la locura de Ruth por un momento, pero había tantas cosas que no encajaban que empecé a dudar de que el libro tuviera sentido. Y no lo tiene!
Casi todo lo importante es omitido. Ruth le enseña algo a Giles y las consecuencias de ese acto no se muestran. Qué demonios pasó después? Nadie lo sabe con certeza porque lo que hace la autora es darnos fragmentos sueltos de conversaciones y hechos, pero eso sí, nos habla con detalle sobre en funeral de un tipo que ni aparece en la historia y sobre los programas de televisión que ve uno de los personajes 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬. Me frustra cuando leo un libro tan mal contado.
July 9, 2024
Despite having found this a little slow to begin with, it got better as the story began to unfold. I found myself anxious to know what would happen next & feeling for Ruth. The unexpected twist made the story all the more gripping!
June 25, 2025
Bastante predecible, pero ha sido entretenido. Lo que más interesante me ha parecido es toda la parte de la depresión posparto y el conflicto personal y familiar de la protagonista.
Se podría profundizar más en general; pero lo dicho, entretenido.
Se podría profundizar más en general; pero lo dicho, entretenido.
May 28, 2020
Ruth is being treated for postpartum psychosis which made her see and hear things that weren't there - especially her dead sister, Tam. So when Ruth hears a scream late at night from the petrol station at the end of the road, neither she nor her husband, Giles, or the police know whether to take her seriously.
The book was really slow to get going and I did wonder if I was going to be able to finish it. It turned out to be a fairly good suspense mystery. It was rather predictable with the usual 'husband who thinks his wife is making it all up'. I must have read a dozen books with the same dynamic, however, I also became a little frustrated with the main character at times. Overall, it was okay but I probably wouldn't re-read it.
Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Pan MacMillan / Mantle, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
The book was really slow to get going and I did wonder if I was going to be able to finish it. It turned out to be a fairly good suspense mystery. It was rather predictable with the usual 'husband who thinks his wife is making it all up'. I must have read a dozen books with the same dynamic, however, I also became a little frustrated with the main character at times. Overall, it was okay but I probably wouldn't re-read it.
Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Pan MacMillan / Mantle, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
December 15, 2023
Ruth ha sido madre primeriza, su marido Giles la adora y en el trabajo esperan su reincorporación. Pero Ruth sufre una afectación psicológica fruto del postparto, tiene alucinaciones. Una noche oye un grito demasiado real para ser una fantasía. Al asomarse a la ventana ve una escena escalofriante, pero nadie la cree. ¿Y si alguien necesita ayuda y ella es la única que puede hacer algo?
Estamos ante un thriller angustiante por la situación médica de la protagonista, su turbación mental y la confusión a la que está sometida hace como lectores el límite entre imaginación y realidad sea de lo más débil. Los hechos son lo suficientemente extraños como para hacernos dudar de todo.
Sin embargo, tiene un trasfondo más profundo de reflexión sobre la maternidad, los cambios que conlleva y sus posibles dificultades. Los personajes son escasos, pero resultan los justos para mantener la tensión perfecta. ¿Qué mejor vecina para nuestra pobre Ruth que una vieja loca? ¿La ayudará o la confundirá aún más?
La autora ha hecho un trabajo increíble, somos testimonios de la creciente desesperación de Ruth por encontrarse bien y cuidar a su hija en condiciones, a la vez que se desanima al ver que nadie la cree y su círculo de amistades se ha evaporado ante su enfermedad. Una mujer dispuesta a demostrar que en el barrio está ocurriendo algo, y a ella tratan de silenciarla culpando a su turbación temporal.
Como veis, una obra que se lee en un suspiro de lo frenética que resulta. Estaréis en tensión todo el rato tratando de hallar la verdad. Sí que es cierto que me ha faltado alguna explicación, pero aun así os la recomiendo si os gusta el género y buscáis un libro para devorar.
Estamos ante un thriller angustiante por la situación médica de la protagonista, su turbación mental y la confusión a la que está sometida hace como lectores el límite entre imaginación y realidad sea de lo más débil. Los hechos son lo suficientemente extraños como para hacernos dudar de todo.
Sin embargo, tiene un trasfondo más profundo de reflexión sobre la maternidad, los cambios que conlleva y sus posibles dificultades. Los personajes son escasos, pero resultan los justos para mantener la tensión perfecta. ¿Qué mejor vecina para nuestra pobre Ruth que una vieja loca? ¿La ayudará o la confundirá aún más?
La autora ha hecho un trabajo increíble, somos testimonios de la creciente desesperación de Ruth por encontrarse bien y cuidar a su hija en condiciones, a la vez que se desanima al ver que nadie la cree y su círculo de amistades se ha evaporado ante su enfermedad. Una mujer dispuesta a demostrar que en el barrio está ocurriendo algo, y a ella tratan de silenciarla culpando a su turbación temporal.
Como veis, una obra que se lee en un suspiro de lo frenética que resulta. Estaréis en tensión todo el rato tratando de hallar la verdad. Sí que es cierto que me ha faltado alguna explicación, pero aun así os la recomiendo si os gusta el género y buscáis un libro para devorar.
January 19, 2021
I read an ARC. I read to just after halfway (through ch 11) and then put it down for a while because I just wasn't that interested. I almost DNF, but I made myself pick it back up. I skipped a lot and read about a paragraph every page or so and then the last chapter and the epilogue.
I can see that some people are going to love the depth of living in Beth's head and all her doubts and the mental illness, but for me it was just too slow and there was so much repetition in Beth's thoughts. Nothing really happened (ok, yes, I skipped a bit, but I still read something on almost every page and don't feel like I missed anything) and it was predictable. We're led to an ending that doesn't appear. I mean, we "know" what happened, but it's not really explained. Her didn't seem to have much of a point.
While others may like tedious domestic fiction, I really didn't like it.
I can see that some people are going to love the depth of living in Beth's head and all her doubts and the mental illness, but for me it was just too slow and there was so much repetition in Beth's thoughts. Nothing really happened (ok, yes, I skipped a bit, but I still read something on almost every page and don't feel like I missed anything) and it was predictable. We're led to an ending that doesn't appear. I mean, we "know" what happened, but it's not really explained. Her didn't seem to have much of a point.
While others may like tedious domestic fiction, I really didn't like it.
March 8, 2020
This main character in this story is Ruth, after giving birth to her daughter Ruth is diagnosed with postpartum psychosis
Having worked on a professional level with ladies suffering from this disorder I felt that the author portrayed both the illness and the character (and her struggles) really well. Ruth is a vulnerable lady who starts to see and hear strange things!! Everything she says, does and feels is put down to the paranoia that is a consequence of her illness its hard for her to see whats reality when all around her she's being doubted by those who are closet to her!
This was a emotionally charged read that I enjoyed reading.
Having worked on a professional level with ladies suffering from this disorder I felt that the author portrayed both the illness and the character (and her struggles) really well. Ruth is a vulnerable lady who starts to see and hear strange things!! Everything she says, does and feels is put down to the paranoia that is a consequence of her illness its hard for her to see whats reality when all around her she's being doubted by those who are closet to her!
This was a emotionally charged read that I enjoyed reading.
June 17, 2025
The Hidden Girls by Rebecca Whitney
As I read it
by Nguyen Chanh
Ruth “used to be someone. She had responsibilities, budgets, an assistant, she did lunch and shop at Liberty,” always “ready to respond to her client’s needs” and always “[going] to the extra mile.” Few people knew that she was living with a wound hidden away deep inside. Ruth was not much older than fifteen and her sister Tam than sixteen when they were enjoying bathing in the sea, and they were too far from the shore when Tam urged her to to get back and not tell their parents where she was, which she did. Tam was never back.
Tam was not just any sister. “She was brilliant at anything- star pupil, footballer, loads of friends. She was destined to go really far.” “Their parents were so proud of her,” “had so many plans for her.” “They all but said outright that they’d never forgive [Ruth] for Tam’s going missing.” In the aftermath of the tragedy Ruth struggled with depression, and for a short period was hospitalized.”
Ruth’s ordeal came back with a revenge when, happily married, she gave birth and had post partum psychosis, hearing screams in the middle of the night and convinced Tam was held captive and asked her to come to her rescue. Then one night, at 4.00 am, on the forecourt of a decommissioned gas station that had been converted to a car wash, in the vicinity of her home, she witnessed by pure chance some men opening a manhole and some women clambering out of the ground. The police dismissed her testimony as a product of her hallucination before she found a young girl who appeared to be one of the women she has seen. Investigators eventually found out that one of the men she saw was Ruth’s neighbor, which his estranged mother readily admitted. He was part of a ring indulging in human trafficking.
The Hidden Girls is more of a novel than of a thriller. As a regular novel it subtly deals with the devastation of losing a beloved sibling and being rejected by one’s parents, and the suffering of witnessing one’s offspring going astray. Il also makes crystal clear how the closest blood relationship can be haphazard as opposed to chosen relationship, such as friendship. As crime fiction, the same novel has the required bunch of twists and turns, including the agonizing sequence when Ruth was about to have her child taken away because she was thought to lose he sanity, and fortunately, at last, any such suspicion suddenly vanished as by magic.
The reader, however, may wonder about the efficiency of investigators, who offhandedly decided only hallucinations could cause Ruth to see people coming out of a disused gas tank since it was full of water as required by law, while a cursory inspection of the premises would’ve enabled them- or everyone else, for the matter- to see that there was on the forecourt of the car wash a sewer manhole beside the gas tank manhole, and that London sewers had enough room for a great number of people.
Ruth’s personality, furthermore, is somehow subject to question. One night after she was released from mother-and-child unit, she launched at a wall with a big knife, determined to deliver her sister from captivity even though Tam had died several years earlier. This single and unique occurrence was so at odd with Ruth’s self, by every standard a normal person, even a savvy psychologist when it came to analyze and evaluate human behavior, that it challenges credibility. This, nevertheless, for the sake of the novel, helps justify everyone’s exaggerated distrust in her.
As I read it
by Nguyen Chanh
Ruth “used to be someone. She had responsibilities, budgets, an assistant, she did lunch and shop at Liberty,” always “ready to respond to her client’s needs” and always “[going] to the extra mile.” Few people knew that she was living with a wound hidden away deep inside. Ruth was not much older than fifteen and her sister Tam than sixteen when they were enjoying bathing in the sea, and they were too far from the shore when Tam urged her to to get back and not tell their parents where she was, which she did. Tam was never back.
Tam was not just any sister. “She was brilliant at anything- star pupil, footballer, loads of friends. She was destined to go really far.” “Their parents were so proud of her,” “had so many plans for her.” “They all but said outright that they’d never forgive [Ruth] for Tam’s going missing.” In the aftermath of the tragedy Ruth struggled with depression, and for a short period was hospitalized.”
Ruth’s ordeal came back with a revenge when, happily married, she gave birth and had post partum psychosis, hearing screams in the middle of the night and convinced Tam was held captive and asked her to come to her rescue. Then one night, at 4.00 am, on the forecourt of a decommissioned gas station that had been converted to a car wash, in the vicinity of her home, she witnessed by pure chance some men opening a manhole and some women clambering out of the ground. The police dismissed her testimony as a product of her hallucination before she found a young girl who appeared to be one of the women she has seen. Investigators eventually found out that one of the men she saw was Ruth’s neighbor, which his estranged mother readily admitted. He was part of a ring indulging in human trafficking.
The Hidden Girls is more of a novel than of a thriller. As a regular novel it subtly deals with the devastation of losing a beloved sibling and being rejected by one’s parents, and the suffering of witnessing one’s offspring going astray. Il also makes crystal clear how the closest blood relationship can be haphazard as opposed to chosen relationship, such as friendship. As crime fiction, the same novel has the required bunch of twists and turns, including the agonizing sequence when Ruth was about to have her child taken away because she was thought to lose he sanity, and fortunately, at last, any such suspicion suddenly vanished as by magic.
The reader, however, may wonder about the efficiency of investigators, who offhandedly decided only hallucinations could cause Ruth to see people coming out of a disused gas tank since it was full of water as required by law, while a cursory inspection of the premises would’ve enabled them- or everyone else, for the matter- to see that there was on the forecourt of the car wash a sewer manhole beside the gas tank manhole, and that London sewers had enough room for a great number of people.
Ruth’s personality, furthermore, is somehow subject to question. One night after she was released from mother-and-child unit, she launched at a wall with a big knife, determined to deliver her sister from captivity even though Tam had died several years earlier. This single and unique occurrence was so at odd with Ruth’s self, by every standard a normal person, even a savvy psychologist when it came to analyze and evaluate human behavior, that it challenges credibility. This, nevertheless, for the sake of the novel, helps justify everyone’s exaggerated distrust in her.
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