The Lodgers

Most Anticipated Books of 2024 mentions in The Telegraph, Guardian, Stylist, and Vice

A dark comedy about lodgings, lovers, and mother-daughter bonds that falter across time and tenancies.

After a year away, a woman returns to her English hometown to live in a sublet. She is always on edge, anticipating a visit from her landlord, the arrival of her unknown roommate, and an impending reunion with her mother, Moffa. Her thoughts also drift back to the rented room she has just left and the life she imagines its new occupant to be leading.

The dramas of temporary housing and the lasting effects of impermanence are turned out in this irreverent and boldly stylish novel that examines a life lived in other people’s spaces. A subtly comic novel about Generation Rent, this is a stunning debut from a writer already hailed as one of the most original poets of her generation.

"It is a rare debut that manages to tell a uniquely personal story while illuminating the problems of a generation. Holly Pester’s The Lodgers is such a book, reading more like a modern classic than a first novel."—The Irish Times

"Holly Pester is a genius and The Lodgers gets into everything that matters."—Kate Briggs, author of The Long Form

Holly Pester is a poet and writer. She has worked in sound art and performance, with original dramatic work on BBC Radio 4 and collaborations with Serpentine Galleries, Women’s Art Library and Wellcome Collection. Pester lives in Colchester, England.