Margin Notes

“Be careful when you fight monsters so you don’t become one yourself.” (Niven)

Jennifer Niven’s When We Were Monsters is a novel of suspicion and suspense that follows Effy and Arlo’s twisted month-long creative writing program. Tucked away on the Move estate of their New England boarding school’s founder who died tragically years before, eight students have been hand-picked to spend their Jan term learning the art of tall tales with the world-renowned author, actor, and director, Meredith Graffam. Jan term can be a life-changing experience that could catapult Effy and Arlo into their writing dreams; however, they need to make it through Graffam’s eccentric methods that will either free or break them. With students dropping like flies, tensions rise and lies float through the estate’s walls. One can never know who to trust. When everyone in the house is being pitted against each other, how can you stop them from turning their vengeance toward the cause, Graffam herself?

Through Niven’s creation of a twisted estate cut off from the outside world due to January storms and lack of cell service, she has made the perfect backdrop for her twisted tale of dark academia. However, the story contains mature content of off-page death, murder, and substance use. Throughout this slow-burning psychological thriller, we see the characters grapple with themes of trauma, ambition, identity, and fear. Seeing the characters that Niven has created wrestling with themselves, their peers, and their supposed teacher at times can be heavy, but it also makes the book hard to put down. Though the setting may not be anything students will experience, the broad topics of personal conflict within the book can connect with the reader.

Ellen Hunter is currently working on her second degree at UNB to become an English teacher. She was born and raised on the north side of Fredericton. When she is not curled up with a good book, she volunteers dog walking, watches true crime documentaries, and spends time with her family.