Emily Hepditch can't resist a character who doesn't want to be good
Winner of the 2021 Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Mystery.
Emily Hepditch’s debut novel The Woman in the Attic is an eerie tale of family secrets and a crumbling house on the coast of Newfoundland.
What are you reading lately?
I’ve read so many great things recently that blew my mind. I just finished The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi. Rip-your-heart-out sad, but beautiful -- the prose is something I hope to achieve myself one day. And before that I read Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead; such a beautiful story and perspective.
And at the strong urging of my friends I’m now one chapter into A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. I’m not typically a fantasy reader, but they’ve recommended it so many times I had to give it a try.
How far back does your love of thrillers go? Were you reading Mary Higgins Clark as a kid?
I think I was in high school when I read Gone Girl. It revolutionized the way I view female characters. Gillian Flynn’s novels made me realize I don’t have to stick to a particular mold. Once I’d read Sharp Objects and Dark Places, I couldn’t get enough of thrillers like that.
I think I’ve always enjoyed psychologically-driven, scary, and mysterious stories, and characters who weren’t always trying to be good. I read a lot of Nancy Drew and Goosebumps growing up, but once I found Gillian Flynn that showed me the avenue I wanted to go down when writing my own books.
Is that also the moment you realized you could or should be a writer?
I’ve been kind of writing books for a long time. I wrote my first “novel” when I was in grade 7 or 8, but hadn’t really pursued it beyond my notebooks. But Gone Girl made me think about pursuing it professionally, stepping out of my comfort zone and creating stories like this.
Your reading tastes are so eclectic, but with two thrillers published and accolades including the Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Mystery, do you have any plans to write outside of the thriller genre?
Well I am working on a children’s book now that really isn’t suspenseful at all. It’s about a boy who gets an ugly sweater for his birthday. I’m enjoying it and I think I’d like to write more children’s literature.
But I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stop writing thrillers. They’re such a hoot! ◼
This interview was edited for length and clarity

The Woman in the Attic
On the coast of rural Newfoundland, Hannah Fitzgerald's mother has lived her life in near total isolation. When Hannah returns to the lonely saltbox house to prepare her mother for the transition into assisted living, her childhood home is anything but welcoming. Dilapidated from years of hoarding and neglect, the walls are crumbling, leaving Hannah’s wellness crumbling along with them. While packing her mother's things, Hannah discovers a trap door to the house’s attic, the one she believed for most of her life had been permanently sealed shut. Blinded by curiosity, Hannah enters the attic and finds a mysterious bedroom riddled with dark secrets. Desperate to know more, Hannah begins to scramble for answers, combing the house for clues that may lead her to the truth. Hannah must navigate through the violent outbursts of her senile mother, the prying questions of a nosy hospice nurse, and the rage of the coastal wind that threatens the structure of the house. Piece by piece, she assembles a picture of her mother’s not-so-distant past—a twisted tangle of infatuation, lies, and maybe even murder. The Woman in the Attic is a claustrophobic psychological thriller wrought with suspense. This novel will put you on the edge of your seat . . . and make you wary of the unused spaces collecting dust in your home.