ReView: Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

Trust your instincts (and read this book). Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak is an innovative, exciting horror trip that shows us that things aren’t always what they seem.

Mallory Quinn is a recovering addict, trying to move forward with her life after dealing with a tragedy. With the help of her sponsor, she secures a job babysitting for the Maxwells and their son, Teddy. Everything starts off relatively normal, but soon enough Mallory observes strange behavior and strange drawings, both at the hands of Teddy. To avoid spoilers, let’s just say the story truly unravels from there.

While the book starts out with a familiar horror premise (a child with scary behavior), it quickly turns out to be so much more. The medium in which this story is told is novel in itself (with Teddy’s drawings actually being a part of the book) and allows for a truly unique and thrilling reading experience. Like Mallory, I found myself fearing to see what the next drawing looked like and then dissecting what it could mean. This use of hand drawn pictures pulls you in and makes you feel like an active, invested member of the story.

I also appreciated the character of Mallory. Even though she fills the role of a somewhat unreliable narrator (a common trope nowadays), she quickly establishes her self awareness. Unreliable narrator characters can be eye roll-inducing (I’m talking to you In A Dark Dark Wood…), but Mallory is different, questioning her own decisions and feelings, her own habits and the legitimacy of the things happening around her. In the crazy situation she finds herself in, she fights to find a balance between questioning and trusting her instincts. And through her voice, you as a reader want to root for her.

There are some typical horror tropes here, but as I mentioned, Hidden Pictures uses its innovative way of storytelling to keep things interesting and keep you guessing. I actually hope they don’t make this one into a movie, because this book is already its own, full experience.

This one is an addictive read, one that will have you staying up late into the night but then regretting doing so because it’s so damn scary.

This is a 4.5 but I am rounding it up to 5 for its ingenuity.