When We Were Monsters
When We Were Monsters by Jennifer Niven is a contemporary thriller published by Random House on September 2, 2025. This 400-page novel explores the lives of eight students at an elite New England boarding school who are selected for an exclusive storytelling workshop led by the enigmatic Meredith Graffam. As they navigate their ambitions and secrets over sixteen days in an isolated estate, the tension escalates, revealing the darker sides of their personalities and relationships.
Readers will find a gripping narrative that delves into themes of ambition, rivalry, and the complexities of youth. The story centers around a dead teacher and the four students who had motives for wanting her gone, raising questions about identity and morality. As the workshop progresses, the characters confront their own demons while grappling with the pressures of creativity and competition. This edition invites readers into a world where the line between monster and human blurs, set against a backdrop of mystery and intrigue.
Official synopsis Publisher
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places comes “a standout dark academia thriller” (e. lockhart, author of We Were Liars) about the monsters who walk among us—even in the glittering upper echelons of society.
A dead teacher at an elite boarding school. Four students who had every reason to want her gone. Who is the monster?
At an elite New England boarding school, eight students are selected for an exclusive storytelling workshop with the one and only Meredith Graffam—an enigmatic writer, director, and actress. For sixteen days, they will live in the isolated estate of the school’s founder, surrounded by snowy woods and a storm-tossed seas. Only one of the chosen will walk away with a lifechanging opportunity to realize their creative dreams.
Everyone, including Graffam, has a compelling reason to be there—Effy, the orphan, Isaac, the legacy, Ness, the wallflower, Ramon, the outsider, and Arlo, whose unexpected arrival leaves Effy spiraling—but only the most ambitious will last the term. Graffam’s unorthodox methods push the students past the breaking point, revealing their darkest secrets, taking unthinkable risks, and slowly starting to turn on one another. But Graffam never expected they would turn on her . . .
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