FINALIST IN THE 2020 NGAIO MARSH AWARDS FOR BEST NOVEL

'another breathtaking page-turner from the author of CALL ME EVIE' - Christian White, bestselling author of The Nowhere Child

HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY?

Amy has only ever known life in the Clearing. She knows what's expected of her. She knows what to do to please her elders, and how to make sure the community remains happy and calm. That is, until a new young girl joins the group. She isn't fitting in; she doesn't want to stay. What happens next will turn life as Amy knows it on its head.

Freya has gone to great lengths to feel like a 'normal person'. In fact, if you saw her go about her day with her young son, you'd think she was an everyday mum. That is, until a young girl goes missing and someone from her past, someone she hasn't seen for a very long time, arrives in town.

As secrets of the past bubble up to the surface, this small town's dark underbelly will be exposed and lives will be destroyed.

PRAISE FOR IN THE CLEARING:

'Past and present collide in this taut and unpredictable thriller ... Twist follows twist and nothing is as it seems.' - Chris Hammer, bestselling author of Scrublands

'A chilling depiction of the ferocious hold exerted by a cult and its adherents. This is totally absorbing fiction, made all the more shocking by the realisation that these stories recur again and again in Australian society.' - Jock Serong, author of The Rules of Backyard Cricket and Preservation

'J.P. Pomare captivates in this haunting novel, In the Clearing. I was utterly gripped with the stories of Amy and Freya from start to finish, and fascinated by the unexpected way the two came together ... A sure-fire bestseller. Sally Hepworth, bestselling author of The Mother-In-Law and The Family Next Door