Article #18909

Clark was an infant when her mother was arrested. Her debut novel asks what it’s like for children who have only ever known a parent in prison

In Harriet Clark’s debut novel, The Hill, a nun explains what it’s like for babies born in prison. “They don’t know that they are in prison,” she says, “but they know when we force them to leave.”

The book’s child protagonist is Suzanna, whose mother has been serving a life sentence for as long as she can remember. There is no expectation that Suzanna and her mother will have a relationship outside the prison’s walls. And yet, they do have a sustained relationship within them.