‘One of the best debut novels I have ever read. Shockingly good … A classic.’ Max Porter
‘Haunting . . . reminded me a lot of Iain Bank. It’s incredible that it’s a debut.’ Douglas Stuart

The sensational Dutch bestseller:
‘Exceptional’ (Financial Times)
‘Exhilarating’ (Independent)
‘Luminous’ (Observer)
‘Beautifully wild’ (Guardian)
‘An earthy and irreverent new voice, thrillingly uninhibited’ (New York Times)

I asked God if he please couldn’t take my brother Matthies instead of my rabbit. ‘Amen.’

Ten-year-old Jas has a unique way of experiencing her universe: the feeling of udder ointment on her skin as protection against harsh winters; the texture of green warts, like capers, on migrating toads; the sound of ‘blush words’ that aren’t in the Bible. But when a tragic accident ruptures the family, her curiosity warps into a vortex of increasingly disturbing fantasies – unlocking a darkness that threatens to derail them all.

A bestselling sensation in the Netherlands, Marieke Lucas Rijneveld’s radical debut novel is studded with images of wild, violent beauty: a world of language unlike any other, exquisitely captured in Michele Hutchison’s translation.

‘THE MOST TALKED ABOUT DEBUT NOVEL OF 2020 ALREADY’ [Dazed & Confused]
ONE OF VOGUE’S TOP FIVE DEBUTS OF 2020
ONE OF THE OBSERVER’S HIGHLIGHTS OF 2020
ONE OF THE GUARDIAN’S TOP TEN BEST NEW BOOKS IN TRANSLATION