The Library at Mount Char

In this urban fantasy/horror story, Caroline and her adopted siblings have been raised in the "library" for 25 years by a "father" who is at least 600 years old. Each has a separate "catalogue" to master, and the combination of their expertise and talents underlies this original tale. Narrator Hillary Huber infuses the three main narrators with very different but, in each case, engaging manners that contrast with the weird events they find themselves involved in. Huber draws on a vast store of voices and personalities to vividly portray the siblings and the many others who come within their sphere of influence. She maintains a subtle intensity that bursts into moments of explosive energy. J.E.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

April 13, 2015
In Hawkins’s terror-driven debut, set in a twisted version of our world, the library at Garrison Oaks serves as both heaven and hell, a place where mastery of the library’s 12 sections can bring untold power or unending misery. Twelve children orphaned in a mysterious disaster are taken in by Father, the stern librarian at Garrison Oaks. The library’s millions of books cover topics ranging from the mundane to the downright spooky, and the orphans become Father’s students, each assigned to a specific area of the library for study. Young Carolyn’s section is languages, both human and other—but first and foremost she is learning fear, obedience, and deep, quiet hatred of Father. Readers may struggle with the opening sections, where much happens and little is explained, but they will be relieved by the belated inclusion of flashbacks that answer many questions. Hawkins’s cunning plotting is backed up by crisp dialogue, a sensation of constant dread, and a solid, subtly weird setting. Agent: Caitlin Blasdell, Liza Dawson Associates.