Readers’ Choice Book Awards Gold Winner

An emotional and chilling exploration of grief, memory, and the quiet horrors that live in broken homes.

“Westbrook’s writing is deeply atmospheric, immersing readers in a world where the house itself feels alive, and the woods loom as a sinister force…Westbrook’s ability to blend the supernatural with reality makes this novel a haunting and unforgettable experience. Highly recommended for those who appreciate a slow-burn, emotionally charged horror story.” —Readers’ Choice Book Awards

In the quiet of a rundown house at the edge of town, a young girl named Ellie carries more than any child should. With a mother who is barely present and a baby brother who depends on her for everything, Ellie survives by staying small, silent, and unseen.

But something has started to knock at the window.

The figure lurking outside looks like her father, talks like him, remembers the lullabies he used to sing, but Ellie knows better than to trust too easily. Still, something in her aches to let him in—and once she does, he keeps coming back.

Told through the eyes of a child trying to make sense of a world that’s forgotten her, The Hollow One is a literary horror story about longing, memory, and the quiet danger of being unseen. Atmospheric, intimate, and deeply unsettling, this is a ghost story where the scariest things are not what lurk in the dark, but what’s already inside the house.