Psychological thriller novel When We Were Monsters by Jennifer Niven hits the shelves on September 2.
Taking place at an elite New England boarding school, the story follows eight students who were selected for an exclusive 60-day storytelling workshop.
The sessions are conducted by Meredith Graffam, an enigmatic writer, director and actress.
While everyone has a compelling reason to be there, things take a dark turn as the mentor’s unorthodox methods push them beyond breaking point, revealing their darkest secrets.
They even turn on one another and eventually, on her.
The new release marks the author’s first novel under the dark academia category. She said she combined everything she loves into one book.
“It was born out of my love for Shirley Jackson, Lois Duncan and Donna Tart’s The Secret History, but mostly I wrote it because I wanted to read it... which is why I write all my books,” Jennifer said in a social media post.
“This one is so different from anything I’ve written before, and there were so many times I worried I’d never be able to capture the vision I had in my head.
“Draft after draft, version after version, but here we are at last. I cannot wait for you to read,” she added.
The international bestselling author is widely known for her 2015 novel All the Bright Places, which won the Goodreads Choice Award for best young adult fiction that year.
The book was later adapted into a Netflix film of the same name, starring actress Elle Fanning, in 2020.
Her follow-up release, Meet the Newmans, is set to come out next year.
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