Hill, Susan Elizabeth (1942– )

English novelist, short-story writer, and radio dramatist. Her works, which explore the nature of loss, isolation, and grief, include her first novel The Enclosure (1961), A Change for the Better (1969), I'm the King of the Castle (1970), and The Bird of Night (1972; Whitbread Award). Later works include Air and Angels (1991), and Mrs de Winter (1993), a sequel to Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. She has also written books for children, including Can It Be True (1988; Smarties Prize), The Glass Angels (1991), and King of Kings (1993).

Hill was born in Scarborough, Yorkshire. She published The Enclosure while she was a student at London University. Her novels are strongly atmospheric, sometimes malevolent and violent, and often feature psychological depictions of loneliness. The pseudo-Victorian ghost story The Woman in Black (1983; adapted for stage and television in 1993) concerns the ghost of a woman who takes revenge on other children for her own child's death; I'm the King of the Castle explores the violence that can be hidden behind the innocence of childhood; and A Change for the Better (1969) puts a group of strange and lonely people together in a hotel. In the Springtime of the Year (1974) looks at the pain of loss and bereavement, while The Albatross and Other Stories (1971) and The Bird of the Night (1972) contain strong violence and a sense of horror.