Fleeing her abusive relationship, Alex arrives in Pine Ridge ecovillage with her surly 14-year-old son, Ollie, and baby daughter, Kara. Alex loves the seclusion of the village, nestled in the hills on former farmland, two hours from Sydney, but Ollie doesn’t. The bond between mother and teenage son is fraying and Alex doesn’t know how to fix their relationship.

Six years earlier, Renee is worried about her teenage son, Gabriel. Addicted to technology, Gabriel rarely leaves his room, much to his father’s disgust. Gabriel’s deteriorating mental health is further destabilised when their cat is killed, its corpse left on their doorstep, and their home is attacked and sprayed with red paint. The night before his appointment with a psychiatrist, Gabriel disappears. Did he run away or was he taken?

Despite her love of Pine Ridge, and growing attraction to founder Kit Vestey, not everyone seems happy at Alex’s arrival. Mysterious boxes filled with dead animals and wax dolls are left on her doorstep, and whispers abound about the witch in the forest who abducts children. Is history repeating itself? Is Ollie in danger?

Creepy and unsettling, alternating between timelines, this page-turning read balances Gothic elements with a poignant insight into the parent-and-child bond.

Reviewed by Melinda Woledge