Gallery Books
Published August 19, 2025
Reviewed by Sharon Mensing
The Unseen falls along the border of psychological thriller, horror, and science fiction…and it does justice to all of them. We have a mother, Isla, who has suffered many miscarriages and is (not) recovering from the most recent. Her husband, Luke, has had her committed in the past and is doing his best to support her in the present. There are five children, ranging from a five-year-old to two teenagers, all of whom have been traumatized by their mother’s mental illness. Into this mix comes a very strange boy whom Isla insists they must foster and, with his introduction, the family’s world becomes increasingly fraught and dangerous.
The book begins slowly as the reader is introduced to each of the family members, their relationships, and the remote setting. Both the characters and the setting are written with depth so that by the time the action really kicks in and the book feels unputdownable, the action plays out almost cinematically. I have images remaining in my mind that I could almost swear I’d seen rather than read. The atmosphere becomes increasingly creepy, completely placing the reader in the minds of the characters who are never quite sure what is going on. Ahlborn does a fabulous job of convincingly immersing the reader in the miasma of the characters’ confusion while allowing just enough understanding of the events to keep the reader engaged in the plot. Her descriptions of the setting and events use all the senses.
The narrative moves forward with flashbacks to give context, and the perspective moves from one character to another as the chapters fly by. Ahlborn frequently leaves a situation hanging at the end of a chapter as she moves to another character’s perspective and, while this is something that can be very annoying in a lesser author’s hands, it is masterfully done here as we jump from one terrifying event to another. The effect is a constant state of dread, which does not give up until the very end. The ending is somewhat open ended. There is a resolution of sorts, but also so many unanswered questions that will keep the book lingering in the readers’ minds long after the last page.
If you are a reader who prefers your plots tied up in a tidy bow, this is not the book for you. If you don’t mind some ambiguity that is fitting with the general tenor of the book, then you are like me and will love this one. The book deals with issues like the meaning of motherhood, mental illness, generational trauma, and more as it tells a compellingly other-worldly story. Ahlborn is a new author to me, and I will be searching out her other books.