Angela Tomaski was born in Oxford and raised in Somerset with her four brothers and sisters. She has had a variety of different jobs, including as a waitress, housecleaner, English teacher, and activity coordinator in a nursing home. She has a daughter and two grandsons and now lives in rural Dorset.

"This dark little novel should be Wes Anderson's next movie... Tomaski puts a quirky spin on Gothic storytelling... manages her pastiche with rare control and evident relish." --New York Times Book Review

"A thrilling debut that absolutely delivers." --Town & Country

"A witty, elegant debut... very stylish... I kept thinking of Shirley Jackson." --Minnesota Star-Tribune

"Hilarious at times, heartbreaking at others." --Booklist

"Readers who have wondered what a Jane Austen novel would look like if it had considerably more psychological ugliness should check out The Infamous Gilberts, an ingenious family drama by Angela Tomaski... [it] is an entertainingly devious family drama with enough wicked surprises to captivate audiences open to its pleasures." --BookPage

"If Shirley Jackson moved The Addams Family to the English countryside, something like this dark, tongue-in-cheek epic might result... This distinctive debut introduces a wickedly weird new talent." --Kirkus Reviews

"Tomaski debuts with a fresh story of an eccentric English family [and] imbues the narrative with pathos and wit... readers will find much to enjoy." --Publishers Weekly

"How do legendary families fall to ruin? The narrator of this ingenious debut grabs us by the hand and guides us through a crumbling Gothic estate to share the tragic fates of five siblings. The Infamous Gilberts intertwines humor, heartbreak, and mystery in a story about the choices that shape--and shatter--the lives we inherit and build. It kept me laughing, gasping, and guessing from beginning to end." --Heather Aimee O'Neill, author of The Irish Goodbye

"A family saga like no other: gloriously offbeat, darkly comedic, and totally bewitching. A bravura performance." --Sarah Winman, author of Still Life

"The Infamous Gilberts is quite unlike anything I have ever read--a highly imaginative world within a world. Exquisite, unsettling, and utterly unique." --Jessica Stanley, author of Consider Yourself Kissed

"Eccentric and deliciously addictive, The Infamous Gilberts is a gorgeous portrayal... moments of heartbreaking pathos come hot on the heels of moments of riotous fun, but it's the bewilderment of a family struggling to make peace with loss that will stay with me the longest." --Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

"Exquisite. A first novel to treasure and inspire. Vivid, poignant, hilarious, and tragic, The Infamous Gilberts is the most rewarding and beautiful book I've read in ages." --Barbara Trapido, author of Brother of the More Famous Jack

"Completely captivating; I absolutely loved it. A compelling, ingenious, mischievous blend of tragedy, comedy, and intrigue." --Nina Stibbe, author of Love Nina

"The Infamous Gilberts is quite unlike anything I have ever read; a highly imaginative world within a world. Exquisite, unsettling, and utterly unique." --Jessica Stanley, author of Consider Yourself Kissed

Publisher: Scribner Book Company

Pub date: 2026-01-20

Length: 288 pages