This post may contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase through my links, I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend the products I love and trust.
The Hidden Child by Louise Fein

Number of Pages: 480 pages
Listening Length: 13 hours and 50 minutes
Audiobook Narrated by: Marisa Calin
Goodreads rating: 4.27
Published on: October 19, 2021
Publisher’s Description
Eleanor Hamilton is happily married and mother to a beautiful four-year-old girl, Mabel. Her wealthy husband, Edward, a celebrated war hero, is a leading light in the burgeoning Eugenics movement—the very ideas that will soon be embraced by Hitler—and is increasingly important in designing education policy for Great Britain.
But when Edward and Eleanor’s otherwise perfectly healthy daughter develops debilitating epileptic seizures, their world fractures. Mabel’s shameful illness must be hidden or Edward’s life’s work will be in jeopardy and the family’s honour will be shattered.
When Eleanor discovers Edward has been keeping secrets, she calls into question everything she believed about genetic inferiority, and her previous unshakeable faith in her husband disintegrates. Alarmed, distressed, and no longer able to bear the family’s burden, she takes matters into her own hands.
Praise for The Hidden Child
“The Hidden Child is a heart-wrenching depiction of a golden couple in the 1920s…. Shocking, emotive, and compelling, but ultimately a story of hope. I loved it.” — Deborah Carr, USA Today bestselling author of The Poppy Field
“From the first pages of Louise Fein’s The Hidden Child, cracks appear in the picture-perfect veneer of the Hamilton family. I found myself tangled in the complicated web of Eleanor and Edward’s marriage, and filled with both dread and hope for their daughter Mabel. Full of surprises, The Hidden Child takes us into the heart of a 1930s marriage as Eleanor and Edward navigate the boundaries of class, family ties, and the overwhelming fear of bringing moral shame into the light. A bittersweet tale that will keep you turning the pages until the wee hours to see what happens next.” — Laura Morelli, USA Today bestselling author of The Night Portrait
About the author of The Hidden Child
Louise Fein is an English writer. She is born and raised in London. Fein has a degree in law and has worked in various countries before settling into a career in banking. She published her debut novel “People Like Us (Daughter of the Reich in the USA)” in 2020. “The Hidden Child” is Fein’s second novel.
Louise Fein’s books in order
- Daughter of the Reich (2020)
- The Hidden Child (2021)
Author’s interview: Louise Fein discusses her debut novel
Louise Fein talks about her debut novel, Daughter of the Reich.
What to read after The Hidden Child
- The Home for Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman
- Patience by Victoria Scott
- Three Sisters by Heather Morris
- Little Souls by Sandra Dallas