In The Clearing

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What to expect

WHO ARE THEY ARE WHAT ARE THEY HIDING?

'Past and present collide in this taut and unpredictable thriller' - Chris Hammer, bestselling author of Scrublands

'A dark, chilling, atmospheric thriller populated with mysterious and wonderfully flawed characters.' - Christian White, bestselling author of The Nowhere Child

Amy has only ever known what life is like in the Clearing, with her brothers and sisters - until a newcomer, a younger girl, joins the 'family' and offers a glimpse of the outside world.
Freya is living an isolated life with her son and their dog, going to great lengths to go about her day as a 'normal person'. When news breaks of a missing girl - a child the same age as Freya's son, Billy - Amy and Freya's stories intertwine, and the secrets of the past will crawl inexorably into the present.

As secrets of the past bubble up to the surface, this small town's dark secrets will be exposed and lives will be destroyed.


PRAISE FOR IN THE CLEARING:

'A chilling depiction of the ferocious hold exerted by a cult and its adherents. This is totally absorbing fiction' - Jock Serong, author of The Rules of Backyard Cricket and Preservation

'J.P. Pomare captivates in this haunting novel . . . A sure-fire bestseller' Sally Hepworth, bestselling author of The Mother-In-Law and The Family Next Door

'Breathtaking page-turner' Christian White, bestselling author of The Nowhere Child

Critics Review

Praise for In The Clearing:
Beautifully written and disturbingly addictive
Lesley Kara
Pomare's new novel, In the Clearing, is written with a technical aplomb that proves his first was no fluke. There's no doubt about it: Pomare is a master of the carefully constructed, impeccably paced psycho-thriller
The Australian
There are lots of premium crime-fiction offerings this summer, but this bloodcurdling exploration of the asphyxiating grip of a cult on its followers deserves to be at the top of your pile.
The New Daily
Clear your schedules, because after reading page one you won't be able to stop. In The Clearing is another breathtaking page-turner from the author of Call Me Evie. A dark, chilling, atmospheric thriller populated with mysterious and wonderfully flawed characters.
Christian White, bestselling author of The Nowhere Child
'Smart Australian thriller ... Amy and Freya's worlds creepily collide in this unputdownable tale.'
Peterborough Telegraph
Pomare alternates between Freya and Amy's stories in ways that challenge the reader to work out how these two characters connect, gradually revealing the secrets of the past until all the pieces of the puzzle fit satisfyingly
Sydney Morning Herald
Both his books are testament to the fact that he could be one of the most exciting literary thriller authors to come out of the country
The Saturday Paper
Still in his early thirties, he already writes with more assurance, and more subtlety, than some of the giants in his field. It seems safe to predict that he will one day be regarded as a giant in the field too
The Australian
If J P Pomare's Call Me Evie was a slow-burner of a psychological thriller, his follow-up, In the Clearing, is a pared-back firecracker
Books + Publishing
Past and present collide in this taut and unpredictable thriller ... Twist follows twist and nothing is as it seems
Chris Hammer, bestselling author of Scrublands
A chilling depiction of the ferocious hold exerted by a cult and its adherents. This is totally absorbing fiction, made all the more shocking by the realisation that these stories recur again and again in Australian society
Jock Serong, author of The Rules of Backyard Cricket and Preservation
J.P. Pomare captivates in this haunting novel, In the Clearing. I was utterly gripped with the stories of Amy and Freya from start to finish, and fascinated by the unexpected way the two came together ... A sure-fire bestseller
Sally Hepworth
This story plays on our worst fears - the peril faced by children and young people when predators strike. In the Clearing explores the psychology of cults and the experience of survivors and those who don't make it out. A complex and satisfying psychological mystery.
N.B. Magazine
Pomare teases out the mystery of both Freya's past and its connection to Amy's story, delivering a thriller that's tense, twisty and eerily atmospheric.
Gemma Nisbet, The West Australian
Praise for Call Me Evie:
Pomare skilfully controls the drip-feed of information to create a nerve-racking love story that continually blindsides the reader.
The Times

User Reviews

Book 5.0
Narration 5.0
5.0
5.0
Vicky 12/05/2022

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