You don't remember her -- but she remembers you.
Two different women; two different worlds. On the face of it, Emma and Nina have very little in common. Isolated and exhausted by early motherhood, Emma finds her confidence is fading fast. Nina is sophisticated and assured, a successful artist who seems to have it all under control. And yet, when the two women meet, they are irresistibly drawn to each other. As the friendship develops, as Emma gratefully invites Nina into her life, it emerges that someone is playing games-and the stakes could not be higher.
What, exactly, does Nina see in Emma? What does she want? And how far will she go in pursuit of it?
A gripping novel about friendship and identity, about the wild hopes and worst fears of parenthood, about the small and easily forgotten moments that come to define a life, Her is unputdownable-compelling and hauntingly discomfiting.
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"This book knocked the breath out of me in the very best sense. HER is mesmerizing, nail-biting, deeply atmospheric and, ultimately, haunting. Harriet Lane has crafted an intoxicating interplay between friendship and betrayal, mothering and memory, vulnerability and opportunity. Watching the story unfold is like watching the perfect storm gather at sea and roll in toward the coast. The creeping sense of inevitability, combined with warning signals that foretell something dangerously wrong, adds up to a suspense novel that's all kinds of right."
— Koren Zailckas, author of Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood
“Never have I seen the angst and vulnerability of early motherhood so vividly portrayed…Her is at once funny and terrifying. I read it in one sitting and when I was finally able to put it down, my heart was pounding.”
— Ann Leary, New York Times bestselling author of The Good House“Lane is brilliant at creating a sense of foreboding…Unlike conventional thrillers, the perverse pleasure of this compelling novel is not a big reveal but the pin-sharp unpicking of personality.”
— Sunday Express (London)“Lane is a brilliant observer of the intricacies of the everyday…As seductive as it is chilling, Her is quality literary fiction meets psychological thriller, the devil of which is in the detail.”
— Guardian (London)“With chilling precision, Lane narrates the entwining of these two women’s lives through domestic details. Afternoon teas, disastrous shopping trips, cluttered homes, and even well-populated playgrounds begin to seep with danger. And the net inexorably tightens. A domestic thriller of the first order.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“A gracefully written psychological thriller about friendship wielded as a weapon…Like Nina herself, the novel is subtle, deliberate, chillingly effective, and hauntingly sad.”
— Publishers Weekly“Narrator Julie Maisey does an excellent job conveying Emma and Nina, two seemingly opposite women who are linked by a meeting decades earlier that only Nina recalls. Maisey compellingly portrays how differently the two women see the same events…Maisey helps listeners understand that every action and gesture of each woman has multiple meanings in a game that only one of them is playing.”
— AudioFile“In her captivating new novel, Her, Harriet Lane crafts a tale of suspense that seeps slowly and inevitably between the cracks of two otherwise ordinary lives…Ms. Lane finds the extraordinary in the ordinary, and this gift will keep readers enthralled until the novel’s thrilling end.”
— Lori Roy, author of Bent Road“A spellbinding book. Think of Virginia Woolf under the influence of Claude Chabrol. Just beneath the smooth, beautiful sentences lies a world alive with terror.”
— Tom McNeal, author of To Be Sung UnderwaterA gripping, chilling, powerful novel of unintended consequences and undeserved retributions, youthful innocence and middle-aged regret, parental guilt and filial obligation, all played out on the dangerous edge of rationality.
— Chris Pavone, author of The ExpatsCompelling and chilling. Like all good thrillers, HER creeps up on you. You can't stop lapping up the rich domestic details, the astute observations about modern motherhood and female friendship, but you're skittish, aware of the growing shadow. What happened in the past? Which one is the psychopath? The end will make you yelp.
— Christina Schwarz, author of Drowning RuthNever have I seen the angst and vulnerability of early motherhood so vividly portrayed. Harriet Lane explores the "tyranny of domesticity" and the almost primitive bonds that link women to their children and also to other mothers. HER is at once funny and terrifying. I read it in one sitting and when I was finally able to put it down, my heart was pounding.
— Ann Leary, author of The Good HouseIn her captivating new novel, HER, Harriet Lane crafts a tale of suspense that seeps slowly and inevitably between the cracks of two otherwise ordinary lives. Writing with a quiet confidence and an eye for the most perfect details, Ms. Lane lures her readers into the lives of Nina and Emma, two women at opposite ends of raising a family. Ms. Lane finds the extraordinary in the ordinary, and this gift will keep readers enthralled until the novel's thrilling end.
— Lori Roy, author of Bent Road and Until She Comes HomeA spellbinding book. Think of Virginia Woolf under the influence of Claude Chabrol. Just beneath the smooth, beautiful sentences lies a world alive with terror.
— Tom McNeal, author of To Be Sung UnderwaterLane is a brilliant observer of the intricacies of the everyday.... As seductive as it is chilling, HER is quality literary fiction meets psychological thriller, the devil of which is in the detail.
— Lucy Scholes, Guardian (UK)Early contender for book of the year. Another triumph from Harriet Lane.
— Erin KellyWith chilling precision, Lane narrates the re-entwining of these two women's lives through domestic details. Afternoon teas, disastrous shopping trips, cluttered homes and even well-populated playgrounds begin to seep with danger. And the net inexorably tightens. A domestic thriller of the first order.
— Kirkus (starred review)A gracefully written psychological thriller about friendship wielded as a weapon.... Like Nina herself, the novel is subtle, deliberate, chillingly effective, and hauntingly sad.
— Publishers WeeklyLane gradually pulls the threads of her story tighter and tighter...the ambiguity of her characterization is excellent, and your loyalties shift. Acutely observed, it's also a meditation on parental legacy, motherhood, and not always believing that the grass is greener on the other side.
— Jessie Burton, author of The Miniaturist, for Self.comIn her sophomore novel, Lane continues to channel Alfred Hitchcock by way of Bridget Jones.... Expect to turn pages at a rapid pace and compile a comprehensive list of anyone you might have wronged.
— DujourSuspenseful, boundary-pushing, and very difficult to put down.
— Vendela Vida, author of Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name and The LoversLane (Alys, Always) writes searingly about the strain of minding young children and the fears and frustration involved in parenting... the overall creepy factor is high-a tense read for fans of the intellectual psychological thriller.
— Library JournalA chilling novel of predator and prey.
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Harriet Lane’s debut Alys, Always was a YouBook Club choice, longlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award and shortlisted for the Writers’ Guild Best Fiction Book award. Before becoming an author Lane wrote for The Guardian, The Observer, Vogue, and Tatler. She lives in North London with her husband and two children.
Julie Maisey has appeared at Hampstead Theatre and The Royal National Theatre, as well as on television in The Bill, Eastenders, and various sit-coms, including Birds of a Feather and Holding the Baby. Her voice-over highlights include the BAFTA-nominated and British Animation Award winning Dad’s Dead and People’s Britain, along with a number of cartoons for the AIR scheme with Channel 4.