"The Children" | Reviewed by Pat Sainz

In the novel, “The Children,” by Melissa Albert, beloved children’s author, Edith Sharpe, and her infamous husband, Llewellyn, die in a fire when their children are 13 and 10. Overnight guests, including several famous actors and artists, also perish in the flames.

         Ennis and his sister Guinevere miraculously manage to flee as the house is consumed. They are found in a little shelter known as The Farmhouse, that they have built by themselves over the years in the forest that surrounds their home.

         After the fire, Ennis and Guinevere don’t see each other again for more than 15 years. 

        The series of children’s books that Edith wrote are bestsellers and remain so following her death. The main characters in the stories are young and named Ennis and Guinevere, children who conquer evil following fantastical adventures.

        Because of the stories, people all over the globe think they know Ennis and Guinevere. Ennis escapes fame by becoming an elusive artist, and is considered one of the most renowned artists in the world. He doesn’t attend his own show’s openings which are often displayed in maze-like installations. 

       Guinevere becomes the face of her mother’s books when she accepts a job with the series’ publisher and promotes the books worldwide. She follows Ennis all over the world, but he refuses to see her. Guinevere publishes a memoir that is effusive with praise about her wonderful childhood which included a year of homeschooling, hours of independence in which she and her brother explore the forest freely, and time spent with local artists and writers who are often overnight guests, sometimes staying for days.

        Behind every fairy tale story lurks evil in some form. In a magical twist, The Farmhouse has a history of power over its inhabitants. The children’s once talented and effusive father changes overnight into a person who barely acknowledges his children. 

        Edith, the mother, secures financial freedom and fame by making her children the heroes of her fantastical novels, so much so that the children never experience any sense of self for most of their lives. Her children live a feral existence as opposed to the enchanted one voiced by Guinevere in her memoir.

       Guinevere is wounded by her brother’s refusal to see her following the deadly house fire. Only when her brother literally captures the secret of the house does he make his move to reunite with Guinevere.

        “The Children,” a gothic novel with elements of fantasy and realism, is a current “Read With Jenna” book with good reason.  Its twists, its hints of horror, dread, and mystery, will hook readers from the start.

         About the author: Melissa Albert's books are included in the New York Times list of Notable Children's Books. “The Children” is her first adult novel. 

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