The Lamb: A Dark Gothic Horror About Women, Hunger, and the Bodies They Consume - Softcover

Rose, Lucy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0063374617 ISBN 13: 9780063374614

Publisher: Harper Perennial, 2026

Synopsis

DAKOTA JOHNSON TEATIME BOOK CLUB PICK · INSTANT #2 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER · WINNER OF THE NOTA BENE PRIZE · SHIRLEY JACKSON AWARDS NOMINEE

A FOLK TALE. A HORROR STORY. A LOVE STORY. AN ENCHANTMENT.

"A dark, gorgeous concoction.”—New York Times

“Beautiful, terrifying . . . . Destined to become a classic."—Washington Post

From an incendiary new talent, a contemporary queer folktale about a mother and daughter living in the woods, for fans of Angela Carter, Margaret Atwood, and Julia Armfield.

Margot and Mama have lived by the forest ever since Margot can remember.

When Margot is not at school, they spend quiet days together in their cottage, waiting for strangers to knock on their door. Strays, Mama calls them. People who have strayed too far from the road. Mama loves the strays. She feeds them wine, keeps them warm. Then she satisfies her burning appetite by picking apart their bodies.

But Mama’s want is stronger than her hunger sometimes, and when a beautiful, white-toothed stray named Eden turns up in the heart of a snowstorm, Margot must confront the shifting dynamics of her family, untangle her own desires, and make her bid for freedom.

With this gothic coming-of-age tale, debut novelist Lucy Rose explores how women swallow their anger, desire, and animal instincts—and wrings the relationship between mother and daughter until blood drips from it.

About this title

About the Author

Lucy Rose’s fiction and nonfiction have been Lucy Rose’s fiction and nonfiction have been published by Dread Central, Mslexia, The Observer, The Nerd Daily, and more. Her films have visited BAFTA- and Oscar-qualifying film festivals internationally. She is also a Forbes 30 Under 30 and a Nota Bene Award winner.

Lucy’s Sunday Times bestselling debut novel, The Lamb was selected for Dakota Johnson’s TeaTime Book Club, and Foyles Book of the Month, and was named best debut novel of the year by Cosmopolitan and Spotify. It was a Goodreads Choice Award Finalist and Netgalley’s Literary Fiction Novel of the Year.

Lucy lives on the north-east coast of England with her black cat, Figgy, and is currently working on her next story.

Edition details

• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0063374617
• ISBN 13: 9780063374614
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336