48 pages • 1 hour read
Jennifer HillierLittle Secrets
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2020A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Authorial Context: Jennifer Hillier
Jennifer Hillier is the renowned author of seven psychological thriller novels. Little Secrets was a national bestseller and made Hillier a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Anthony Award. The novel’s success in the bookselling market has led to its forthcoming adaptation for Peacock. Prior to the publication of Little Secrets, Hillier established herself on the literary stage via her novels Jar of Hearts, Creep, Freak, The Butcher, and Wonderland. Jar of Hearts was also well-received; it won the ITW Thriller Award and was shortlisted for the Anthony and Macavity Awards. These accolades have reiterated Hillier’s reputation as a skilled writer in the psychological thriller genre. Hillier is particularly known for her ability to both entertain her readers while asking thought-provoking questions about human nature.
Hillier lived in Seattle, Washington, for eight years with her son and husband. These elements from her personal life feature in the plot line of Little Secrets. Therefore, Hillier’s representation of Marin Machado throughout the novel is authenticated by her own life. Furthermore, Hillier’s experiences as a woman, a mother, and an artist contribute to her deft representations of the female experience within both Marin’s and McKenzie Li’s storylines. Throughout Little Secrets, Marin captures the complexities and dichotomies of inhabiting a female body while seeking healing, companionship, and closure. Hillier returned to these conflicts and themes in her subsequent 2022 novel Things We Do in the Dark. The novel similarly embodies the tropes of the genre while captivating readers through unexpected events and probing complex issues of identity and morality.
Genre Context: Psychological Thriller
Little Secrets is a psychological thriller novel. This genre carries the tone and tension of thrillers generally, but it focuses on the mental state and deteriorating sense of reality within the characters. With characteristics of Gothic and detective fiction, these books typically feature elements of mystery, drama, and paranoia. Two literary devices often featured in psychological thrillers are plot twists and unreliable narrators, both of which this novel employs. Other popular titles from this genre include Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane, and The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.
The structure and plot of Little Secrets inhabit the tropes of the genre. The novel begins with an intense inciting event that in turn infuses the narrative with mystery: Sebastian Machado’s disappearance. The incident not only creates intrigue by posing questions about the specifics behind the mystery, but it also creates complex relational divisions between the characters. In these ways, Hillier uses the genre as a tool for exploring the human mind and psyche. Indeed, throughout Little Secrets, even the most logical and centered characters are undone by the tragedies that befall them. Their inability to control and make sense of their circumstances drives them to irrational behavior, which then sets off another litany of thrilling events.
In the author’s note at the end of the source text, Hillier specifically remarks on her work to capture “Marin’s downward spiral after her young son goes missing” (337). Via Marin’s storyline, Hillier set out to explore “[her] greatest fear” through the psychological thriller genre (337). Hillier captures the effects of loss, grief, and anger with sensitivity. The psychological thriller genre therefore organically considers the ways in which guilt and sorrow impact the human mind and how tragedy might distort an individual’s sense of self-worth. True to the genre, Hillier also incorporates a series of subplots and tangential conflicts, which effectively nuance Marin’s experience and deepen the novel’s themes. This aligns with the general conception that psychological thrillers aren’t merely mysteries or drama resolved through basic investigation. The resolution, whether positive or negative, usually arises through the emotional development, introspection, and complex relationships of the characters. For the climax of Little Secrets to occur, Marin and Derek must overcome the major issues in their marriage, McKenzie must undergo the character development required to stand up to Sal, while Marin must learn to empathize with McKenzie.
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