"Campisi follows up Sin Eater with a gripping and richly imagined mystery...With piercing prose and a nimble balance of emotion and suspense, Campisi expertly melds the best of historical mystery with top-shelf literary fiction. Amy Stewart and Sarah Waters fans, take note: this is a must-read."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"The characters are richly layered and the mid-nineteenth century atmosphere is completely tangible. Campisi makes an exciting return to historical fiction with a new tale of moral quandaries and the hidden talents of women as Kate revisits episodes from her traumatic past and ponders what type of person she wants to become."--Booklist

Praise for Sin Eater

"A riveting description of hardwon female empowerment that weaves together meticulous research, unsolved murder--and an unforgettable heroine. Exhilarating...great storytelling...reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale or Russell Hoban's great sui-generis sci-fi novel Riddley Walker."-- "The Washington Post"

"Sin Eater is a dark and thrilling page turner that turns a dystopian eye on the past in an unnervingly contemporary way. All hail Megan Campisi and her smashing novel." --Emma Donoghue, New York Times bestselling author of Room and Akin

"The Name of the Rose meets Wolf Hall in this brilliant, bewitching novel. Megan Campisi conjures a deliciously warped version of sixteenth-century Britain: Tudor England in a funhouse mirror. Her heroine, a young girl cruelly rendered pariah, is ingeniously sketched and achingly real. Ms. Campisi has created a dark, rich story replete with humor, unforgettable characters, and arcane mysteries. It casts a spell on your heart and mind until the final page." --Jennie Melamed, author of Gather the Daughters

"A dark, propulsive novel that twists your stomach in all the right ways." -- "Lit Hub"

"Magnificent...complex, vivid... This vision of Renaissance outsiders is exactly what historical fiction lovers have unknowingly craved."-- "New York Journal of Books"

"[A] rousing, impressive debut... Campisi's stirring portrait of injustice is deepened by May's cleverness, frustration, and grief. This spellbinding novel is a treat for fans of feminist speculative fiction." -- "Publishers Weekly"

Publisher: Atria Books

Pub date: 2025-03-18

Length: 256 pages