The Little Friend by Donna Tartt

The Little Friend

Donna Tartt

Nine year old Robin is found hanging from a tree in his own back yard in small town Mississipi. Twelve years on his precocious younger sister, Harriet, and friend Hely set out to unmask the killer, with dangerous consequences. Forget what you may have heard and stick with the denser parts of the story to get the most from some truly heart-stopping moments.

Extract
Harriet, the baby, was neither pretty nor sweet. Harriet was smart.

From the time she was old enough to talk, Harriet had been a slightly distressing presence in the Cleve household. Fierce on the playground, rude to company, she argued with Edie and checked out library books about Genghis Khan and gave her mother headaches. She was twelve years old and in the seventh grade. Though she was an A student, the teachers had never known how to handle her.

Parallels
  • Atonement by Ian McEwan
  • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
  • Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell