MY MOTHER HAD LOOKED INTO THE FACE OF EVIL SO MANY TIMES SHE KNEW WHAT IT WAS. IT WAS ME. I WAS BORN WITHOUT A SOUL. . . .

An edgy new novel from the author who shocked a generation with her groundbreaking Flowers in the Attic saga, The Unwelcomed Child is V.C. Andrews at her surprising, sensual, and unforgettable best.

Elle Edwards grew up believing that because of her mother’s sinful ways she was born without a soul, and that’s why she was abandoned to the care of Grandmother Myra and Grandfather Prescott. Raised in a virtual prison to ensure that her inherent evil will not taint her vigilant guardians, Elle’s days are occupied with homeschooling, strict religious studies, and vigorous housekeeping in the devout couple’s upstate New York home. Elle knows practically nothing of the outside world, even as she emerges as a young woman with impressive artistic talent.

Myra’s strict prohibitions are immovable, but Prescott acknowledges Elle’s special gifts, and gradually persuades Myra to allow the girl some time outdoors to sketch from nature. But when she makes a secret, forbidden connection to vacationers at the nearby lake—a handsome boy and his precocious twin sister—Elle’s world will shatter as her past meets her present.

Will learning the truth about her mother send her plummeting to hell? Maybe some discoveries are forbidden for a reason . . . and maybe Elle will wish she never knew why she has always been The Unwelcomed Child.