I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Lamb by Lucy Rose Narrator: Emma Rydel
Published by HarperAudio, HarperCollins on February 4, 2025
Genres: Fiction / Horror
Length: 7 hours 47 minutes
Pages: 336
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Publisher
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A TEATIME BOOK CLUB PICK · INSTANT #2 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
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.
This was good! This is one of those books that will not be for everyone. There are probably a lot of people who would want nothing to do with a book featuring cannibalistic main characters. I am not one of those people, so as soon as I saw this book, I knew that I had to read it. I enjoyed the book overall, although I felt like it dragged a bit in the middle.
This story is told from Margot’s point of view. Margot is a little girl who lives with her mother in a small cottage in the woods. When people get lost or have car trouble nearby and wander to this house for help, things don’t go well for them. Margot and her mother call these people strays and strays usually end up on the dinner plate. Things change a bit when Eden shows up and becomes part of their little family instead of a stray. What could possibly go wrong?
Emma Rydel did a fantastic job with the narration of this book. I felt like I was right there with Margot trying to navigate her life at home and at school. She added just the right amount of emotion to her reading to bring the story to life. I believe that this is my first experience with this narrator’s work and I felt like I could listen to her all day long. I am certain that her performance added to my overall enjoyment.
I would recommend this book to anyone considering reading it. I thought that the beginning and the end of the book were incredibly strong even if it dragged a bit in the middle. I am very impressed with this author’s writing and hope to read more of her work very soon.
I received a review copy of this book from HarperAudio and Harper.
OOoh interesting! I haven’t heard of this one! I don’t think I ever read a cannibalistic book before either! Not as the main characters at least! I didn’t think I could handle You with a serial killer pov but ended up really liking that series so never say never! Lol. I’ll have to keep this one on the backburner! Great review!
Probably not the book for me, but I’m glad it worked so well for you! 😀