Clever Little Thing

Motherhood is hard, we often make mistakes, but when instinct warns, it cannot be ignored.

A disturbing, dark and addictive thriller.

Stella is a very intelligent and sensitive girl, precocious for her age, but for some time now her behavior has changed and Charlotte, her mother, is very worried. Her unpredictable and sometimes anti-social behavior has disappeared. Stella has become a docile and compliant creature, and even seems to have regressed in her learning. An attitude that increasingly resembles the personality of Blanka, her recently deceased nanny.

Charlotte, pregnant with her second child, does not feel well and is convinced that, in some way, Blanka is responsible for her daughter's transformation. But, how is it possible that the nanny is still part of their lives? Charlotte is obsessed and has no doubt that only she can save her daughter, even when her husband is clear that it's all in her head.

ENGLISH DESCRIPTION

"Clever Little Thing taps into the heart of maternal fear and will shock you in the best way. This one will give you goose bumps." --Ashley Elston, #1 New York Times bestselling author of First Lie Wins

"Sharp and unflinching--a perfectly unnerving story." --Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push

A taut, powerful psychological thriller following a mother who must confront a sudden and terrifying change in her daughter after the abrupt death of their babysitter

Charlotte's daughter Stella is sensitive and brilliant, perhaps even a genius, but a recent change in her behavior has alarmed her mother. Following the sudden death of Stella's babysitter, Blanka, the once disruptive and anti-social child has become docile and agreeable. But what's unsettling is that she has begun to mirror Blanka's personality, from Blanka's repetitive phrases to her accent, to fierce cravings for Armenian meat stew after being raised a vegetarian.

Charlotte is pregnant with her second child, and depleted and sick with the pregnancy. She is convinced that Blanka herself is somehow responsible for Stella's transformation. But how could Blanka, dead, still be entwined in their lives? Has Blanka somehow possessed Stella? Has Stella become Blanka? As Charlotte becomes increasingly obsessed, she is sure that only she can save her daughter. . . even though it's soon clear that her husband believes this is all in Charlotte's head.

Helena Echlin's singular, chilling voice holds light to the blurred lines of diagnosis in children and to the vital power of maternal instinct. Kaleidoscopic and tense, pulse-pounding and genuinely creepy, and infused with shades of the supernatural, Clever Little Thing is an ode to motherhood and a nuanced critique of the caretaking industry, a page-turner that will haunt readers long after its epic, surprising finale.

Author: Helena Echlin
Publisher: Grijalbo
Published: 07/29/2025
Pages: 352
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.01lbs
Size: 9.00h x 5.90w x 1.10d
ISBN13: 9788425361029
ISBN10: 8425361028
Language: Spanish
BISAC Categories:
- Fiction | Thrillers | Psychological
- Fiction | Thrillers | Suspense

About the Author
Helena Echlin ha escrito para The Guardian y The Times, entre otras publicaciones. Vive en Oxfordshire con su marido y sus dos hijos y da clases en la Universidad de Oxford.