in the quiet town of blackwood, nothing stays buried forever.beneath the fog-drenched streets and the broken steeple of a ruined church, something ancient stirs-something that has been waiting for a door to open.clara morton, a grieving widow, is doing her best to hold her life together for her twelve-year-old son, ethan. but when strange whispers creep through the walls of their home and her boy begins to change in ways no mother should ever witness, clara realizes that her grief has carried more than memories into their house. she has brought something else-something that marks ethan as its own.the symbol that burns across ethan's skin is no mere wound. it is the hollow mark: a claim left by an entity older than faith, older than the town itself. and the deeper it roots, the less of her son remains.desperate to save him, clara turns to blackwood's hidden past. ancient manuscripts, forbidden rituals, and the testimony of gabriel ashcroft-a priest disgraced after failing to save a marked girl years ago-reveal that the hollow feeds not on blood alone, but on secrets, grief, and the sins we refuse to speak aloud. to confront it, clara must face the memories she has buried, the guilt she has carried, and the voice of her dead husband echoing through the dark.but the hollow is patient. it twists truth into lies, voices into weapons, and fear into surrender. every night, its whispers grow louder. every day, ethan slips further away. and when the hollow finally reveals its true form, clara will have only one choice: sacrifice everything she loves, or risk opening a door that can never be closed.the hollow mark is a chilling tale of possession, grief, and the terrible weight of secrets we hide even from ourselves. viktoryia konan weaves a haunting narrative filled with atmospheric dread, visceral horror, and emotional depth. perfect for fans of shirley jackson, paul tremblay, and stephen king, this novel explores not just what lurks in the shadows-but what we bring with us into them.step inside blackwood if you dare. but remember: once the hollow sees you, it never looks away.