Rachel Hawkinscould probably give just about anything a Gothic lens.
EW can exclusively reveal the cover for the novel, slated to hit shelves Jan. 4, 2022.
Despite a history of shipwrecks, cannibalism, and sinister rumors, Meroe Island at first seems a paradise.
They quickly settle in to a new life off the grid, a seemingly blissful, free-spirited existence.
But the arrival of a skeevy stranger sends things spiraling, exposing dark pasts and lies.
Read more after the cover.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: SoThe Wife Upstairswas inspired byJane Eyre, is this new thriller inspired by any particular text?
RACHEL HAWKINS:This is definitely not a re-telling of any kind; it’s all me.
Can you explain a bit more what that means?
We came up with that and loved it.
It takes a lot of the aspects of the Gothic.
And where can you go with that?
I’ve always loved thrillers and mysteries.
But with adults, it’s like, “Hey, it’s fine.
You guys knew what you were getting into.
You should have thought this through.”
You’re really good at writing beautiful, effed-up rich people.
How have you perfected that and why is it a subject that fascinates you?
And I was like, you know, there’s nothing wrong with that.
I always think that there’s such rich stuff, no pun intended, to be mined there.
She’s got this.
Even if she doesn’t, well, she’s not the best person in the world.
Definitely, a huge theme in Reckless Girls is the things that men can get away with.
And the things that women can’t.
And how do you start trying to even the playing field as it were?
That was definitely a thing that I wanted to explore with this book.
No, they are not linked.
This is in no way a sequel toThe Wife Upstairs, but it’s definitely a spiritual successor.
This is the brand.
It’s floral, but there’s death.
I’m very lucky; I got this and was immediately blown away by it.
I had said that I definitely wanted something that invoked the tropical theme.
I joke a lot online that my biggest goal is that people pick up my books in airports.
That’s one of the things I really loved about this.
What is it?"
This is the only book that I wrote completely while in quarantine.
That was me needing to get my inner travel nerd out.
Can you tease the book in three words?
OrBelow Deckwith murder, that’s four.
