Spoilt Creatures
An Observer Best Debut of 2024 - 'compelling, cultish and utterly feral' Alice Slater
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Headline Publishing Group
Published:6th Jun '24
Should be back in stock very soon
This riveting debut, Spoilt Creatures, delves into themes of female rage, cult dynamics, and the quest for identity within a community of women.
In Spoilt Creatures, readers are introduced to Iris, a young woman seeking solace from a world that has consistently disappointed her. Living with her mother, Iris encounters the enigmatic Hazel, who invites her into a women’s commune located in the serene Kent Downs. This commune, known as Breach House, promises a sanctuary where women can express themselves freely, unburdened by the constraints imposed by men. Under the guidance of the formidable matriarch Blythe, the women embrace a lifestyle that is both liberated and tumultuous, filled with the joys and struggles of sisterhood.
However, the idyllic facade of Breach House soon reveals cracks as power dynamics and hidden cruelties emerge among the residents. The arrival of a group of men disrupts their fragile existence, challenging the very essence of their community. As tensions escalate, Iris and her companions are pushed towards a shocking act of violence that threatens to dismantle everything they have built. The narrative explores the complexities of female relationships, the allure of rebellion, and the underlying currents of rage that can surface in the face of patriarchal oppression.
Spoilt Creatures is a compelling exploration of transgression and obsession, offering a raw and unflinching look at the darker sides of female empowerment. The prose is lush and evocative, drawing readers into a world where the boundaries of safety and danger blur, and the fight for autonomy takes on a hauntingly beautiful form.
A simmering debut,heady with the possibilities of language and the righteousness of female rage -- Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of 'The Mercies'
Lush and dreamlike - a sweltering novel, where the sunlight pulses with nightmarish dread -- Colin Walsh, author of 'Kala'
A modern-day Dionysian cult of women in the woods - haunting, exhilarating and full of female rage -- Jennifer Saint, author of 'Ariadne'
This lusciously verdant novel is about female identity and obsession, desire and autonomy. It asks important questions about what we owe, and to who. It is rich in grit and dirt, in sensuality and oblivion, working towards a complicated and devastating end -- Lara Williams, author of Supper Club
Emma Cline's The Girls meets Lord of the Flies, Spoilt Creatures is compelling, cultish and utterly feral. I'm drinking the Amy Twigg Kool-Aid, and it tastes like blood and rotten summer berries. A firecracker of a debut!" -- Alice Slater, author of 'Death of a Bookseller'
A sun-drenched, blood-soaked fever dream of a novel. Amy Twigg's prose is as exact as her setting and characters are wild, and she unflinchingly portrays female rage in its full, terrible glory -- Erin Kelly, author of The Skeleton Key
A powerful, angry, dark and compelling feminist debut novel. It pulls you in to the visceral world of the women in the commune and it shocks and moves you. Beautifully written -- Georgina Moore, author of 'The Garnett Girls'
An intimate and intense tale of how a safe haven can become a dangerous place, told with much insight and humanity -- Ewan Morrison, author of 'Nina X'
Earthy and visceral, Spoilt Creatures is a depiction of female physicality unlike any I've read before -- Ben Tufnell, author of 'The North Shore'
This is a book that sinks its claws in and doesn't let go. Filled with atmosphere and incredible prose, it's compulsive reading right up until its terrible, inevitable end -- Jennie Godfrey, author of 'The List of Suspicious Things'
A gripping, beautifully imagined reflection on women and anger - I couldn't put it down -- Emily Howes, author of 'The Painter's Daughters'
Spoilt Creatures is a poignant exploration of loss, female anger, and just how far we can each be pushed. The book is sensual and sinister and achingly sad. A chilling cautionary tale, it's perfect for fans of The Girls by Emma Cline -- Flora Carr, author of The Tower
The most talked-about debut of 2024. It's the perfect find for fans of Sophie Mackintosh and Julia Armfield * Stylist *
Amy Twigg's striking debut offers a new twist on the cult narrative... Twigg writes perceptively about loneliness and disconnection and the appeal of a haven from "the malfunctioning world of indecision and patriarchy" * Observer *
If there's one debut you read this year, make sure it is Spoilt Creatures. A story that is dripping in satire, female rage and cultish obsession, this is a read in one sitting kind of book... There is such a surreal, dreamlike quality to the prose, which is rich with atmosphere and fierce with its brute power. Twigg is here to stay * Glamour *
A fascinating blend of human vulnerability and grimy delights -- Camilla Grudova * Telegraph *
A firecracker of a debut... expect power struggles and female rage * Elle *
An extremely accomplished debut * Good Housekeeping *
With rising tension, this is a really strong debut and if, like me, you are fascinated with cults, you will devour it * Prima Magazine *
For fans of The Girls * Grazia *
This rivetingly dark debut stands outamong a new generation of novelists working under the spell of the 20th-century horror writer Shirley Jackson, whose chilling tales portray the violent urges simmering beneath civilised norms... Twigg's sinister portrait of brain-washing unspools in the manner of a true-crime testimony, narrated with masterful control and teasing us with hints of the devastatingly brutal climax to come, as the novel's doomy cadences generate maximal dread * Daily Mail *
Amy Twigg's debut - about an all-female commune where things get sinister - is gripping * Fabulous Magazine *
Twigg's storytelling isboth captivating and unsettling, drawing readers into the complex emotional landscapes of her characters. The narrative unfolds slowly under the oppressive summer sun, building to a gripping climax * Scotsman *
Twigg's storytelling is captivating yet unsettling, drawing readers into a complex emotional landscape of characters - 9/10 * Daily Mirror *
Amy Twigg's fierce debut needs to find its way to your bedside table... An unapologetic and all-encompassing exploration of female rage, power structures, and the entrapment of cults, I guarantee readers will be both enthralled and disgusted by this fascinating, furious, and utterly feral novel * NB Magazine *
ISBN: 9781035407910
Dimensions: 238mm x 156mm x 36mm
Weight: 540g
336 pages