I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Bitter Is the Heart: A Novel by Mina Hardy Published by Penguin Random House, Crooked Lane Books on September 17, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Horror
Pages: 304
Format: ARC
Source: NetGalley
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Haunted by childhood abuse, a woman is forced to care for her cruel elderly mother in this electrifying horror novel exploring generational trauma, perfect for fans of Cassandra Khaw and T. Kingfisher.
Tamar Glass fled an abusive mother when she was eighteen, running away from home to find a better life elsewhere. She has lived in freedom from her mother, Ruth, for decades, until one night she wakes to find her now-elderly mother standing over her bed, disoriented and confused.
When Tamar reluctantly takes in her mother, strange events start happening inside her home: the house becomes oppressively hot, lights flicker, and cupboards open and shut on their own. Whispers filter beneath her bedroom door. Tamar learns that Ruth has been kicked out of her assisted living home, and other facilities refuse to house her and endanger their own residents. Tamar has spent years suppressing her childhood trauma, but it comes rushing back with each strange event in her home.
As Tamar copes with their disturbing past, which her mother stubbornly refuses to admit to, she can’t shake the feeling that there’s something worse than her mother lurking in the shadows. Perfect for fans of The Haunting of Hill House, this terrifying novel unravels one dark strand at a time.
Story Locale: Kettering, Ohio
Review
Jewish Mysticism Meets Modern Horror in Hardy’s Latest Chiller
Some family reunions turn into horror stories. Mina Hardy’s Bitter is the Heart takes that dark truth and runs with it – straight into nightmare territory.
The story follows Tamar Glass, who’s forced to move her difficult mother Ruth back home after an eviction from assisted living. But Ruth brings more than just her belongings – she carries decades of family secrets that should’ve stayed buried. Hardy weaves Jewish folklore into this mother-daughter nightmare, creating something genuinely fresh in a genre that often feels played out.
What makes this book work isn’t the supernatural scares (though they’re plenty creepy). It’s how Hardy uses horror to dig into the way trauma gets passed down through generations like a cursed family heirloom. The story starts slow – maybe too slow for some readers – but builds to the kind of ending that’ll have you checking over your shoulder for days.
Hardy’s writing shines brightest in the moments where reality starts to crack, when you’re not quite sure if what’s happening is supernatural or just the characters losing their grip on sanity. She knows exactly when to show her hand and when to let your imagination do the heavy lifting.
Is it perfect? No. The pacing in the first third might test your patience. But stick with it – the payoff is worth it. Think less jump-scares, more slow-creeping dread that settles into your bones.
3/5 stars. If you like your horror with a side of family drama and ancient curses, Bitter is the Heart deserves a spot on your nightstand. Just maybe keep the lights on while you read it.
