Growing Up with a Mother in Prison

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<p>Harriet Clark’s novel, “<a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374614546/thehill/" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Hill</a>,” is one of the most anticipated works of fiction of the year. It’s a story of a girl growing up visiting her mother, who is serving a life sentence in prison for a politically motivated crime. And although “The Hill” is a work of fiction, it follows the contours of Clark’s own life closely: her mother is Judy Clark, who drove a getaway car after a robbery in which two police officers and a security guard were killed. One of “The Hill” ’s enthusiastic admirers is Rachel Aviv, a staff writer at <i>The New Yorker</i>. She spoke with Clark about the power of fiction, her mother’s life story, and the power of narrative when thinking about how to confront carceral systems.</p> <p>Further reading: </p> <ul> <li>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/05/11/the-hill-harriet-clark-book-review#rid=f9071ad2-f3ad-44d0-9034-f8e1a3d19509&q=harriet+clark" rel="noopener noreferrer">Harriet Clark’s Début Is a New Kind of Coming-of-Age Novel</a>,” by James Wood</li> <li>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/03/02/the-trial-of-gisele-pelicots-rapists-united-france-and-fractured-her-family" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Trial of Gisèle Pelicot’s Rapists United France and Fractured Her Family</a>,” by Rachel Aviv</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>