WHEN WE WERE MONSTERS

A group of teens attend a winter writing intensive with a famous and unorthodox author.

At the elite prep school Brighton and Hove, being chosen for Jan Term is an honor. Eight students are selected to spend 16 days living in the Moss—the old mansion that belonged to the school’s founder—and work with a renowned visiting artist. Among this year’s group are Effy Green and Arlo Ellis-Noon, two teens with a messy romantic history, who are each struggling with grief. Their new mentor is the notorious Meredith Graffam, “one of the hottest talents in books, theater, and film,” and an alum of Brighton and Hove. Thirty years ago, when Graffam was at Jan Term, her best friend was murdered in the woods surrounding the Moss. Graffam’s book about her experience that night and her fight to see the killer convicted brought her instant success. Now back where it all started, Graffam uses provocative methods—including a promise that she’ll choose one student to have their work “produced, filmed, or published”—that set the classmates against one another, isolating them in the name of pursuing greatness. But as her approach becomes more dangerous, Effy and Arlo must decide whether to trust Graffam or each other. Fans of dark academia will enjoy this atmospheric story of art, lies, and redemption that features a lurking, slowly building sense of dread that grows throughout the novel. Effy, Arlo, and Graffam present white.

Leisurely and spine-tingling.