Jar of Hearts

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death.

Jennifer Hillier is a best-selling author who has written and published seven psychological thrillers. Her novels, which have been published in at least 23 languages, are known for their intensity and plot twists, their explorations of human morality, and their depictions of complex internal conflicts fueled by violence and trauma. 

Hillier’s first four thrillers, Creep, Freak, The Butcher, and Wonderland, were released between 2011 and 2015. She began receiving literary acclaim with 2018’s Jar of Hearts, which won the ITW Thriller Award for Best Hardcover Novel. It was nominated for the Anthony Award and Macavity Award and also graced many “best of” lists for 2018. Hillier followed Jar of Hearts with 2020’s Little Secrets, which was a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist and an Anthony Award finalist. In 2022, it was reported to be in adaptation for a television series on Peacock. Like Jar of Hearts, Little Secrets alternates between the perspectives of two main characters. Also like Jar of Hearts, the novel is deeply concerned with themes of trauma and revenge. Similar concerns animate Hillier’s 2022 novel Things We Do in the Dark, a New York Times bestseller, which shares Jar of Hearts’s interest in secrets, abuse, and crime. 

Of the inspiration for her thrillers, Hillier has said, “I imagine the worst about people, and then write about it” (“About.” Jennifer Hillier Books). In addition to her novels, Hillier writes essays as part of a newsletter connected to her author’s website. Though Hillier portrays dark subject matter in her narratives, she is cognizant of how this might affect readers: “As a thriller author,” she notes, “this is always on my mind” (“Resources.” Jennifer Hillier Books). To that end, her website provides a list of resources in the US and Canada related to violence, suicide, mental health, sexual abuse, and racism.

Hillier was born and raised in Toronto, and although she was living in Seattle when she first began publishing her novels, she has since returned to the Toronto area with her family. She began writing as early as age six, when she wrote a short story about an “angry and vengeful Snow White” killing the Wicked Queen in a reimagined version of the classic fairy tale (“FAQ.” Jennifer Hillier Books). Early drafts of Creep, her first thriller, were rejected by agents who said that her protagonist needed to be more likable. Hillier discovered, however, that she found sympathetic characters to be boring characters. By staying true to the complex and deeply flawed version of the character, Hillier set the tone for her gritty, authentic portrayals of the human experience within the context of crime fiction.