An extraordinary and heart-rending novel'

A complex, suspenseful story about the shocking and unexpected consequences of a sexual assault . . . a brilliant debut. One of the best books you'll read this year

A magnificent debut to rival the very best of Dennis Lehane, The Damage scores knockout thriller punches chapter after chapter. It's dense and exciting, as though Michael Connelly and Tana French had joined forces. A spectacularly plotted and powerful family drama

A brilliantly-observed novel about how a terrible crime can ignite the first match in a whole row. Twist after twist - but also a damning and humane exploration of family, brotherhood and upbringing. To say I loved it is a wild understatement

The whodunnit tipped to be this summer's must-read

Sensational. This is 'catch in the throat' storytelling that Wahrer makes look disarmingly easy and it leads to not one but two startling final twists. Unputdownable

A tense psychological thriller, full of twists yet acutely attuned to the mental and physical effects of violence. It feels utterly authentic. A remarkable debut

A suspenseful family drama. It draws you right in from the get-go and constantly leaves you guessing and questioning - sometimes even shouting at the page. An explosive ending that you will not see coming. If you're reading it around family and friends, expect to need to ignore them for a few hours while you finish it

Damage sets the standard for psychological suspense! With a consummate authorial hand, Wahrer weaves a brilliantly layered story of a horrific crime and how it forces each member of a loving family to confront the harrowing question of what kind of person they truly are. The style of this novel is as elegant as the characters are breathtakingly real and the plot undeniably compelling

Gritty and suspenseful . . . Splices small-town family drama with nervy psychological noir. An explosively slow-burn guessing game

Smart, suspenseful and timely, this accomplished debut takes us on a journey through the emotional fall-out from one ugly night in a small town

Caitlin digs into our perceptions around masculinity, consent and what it means when violation becomes public knowledge. Twisty family drama . . . Skilful

Delightfully unpredictable, The Damage is a relatable tale about the desire to protect your family. I ripped through it one sitting

A devastating, life affirming, heart thumping exploration of family, brotherhood and what people will do to protect the ones we love. Highly recommended

A blisteringly smart and evocative novel, with a compelling premise, richly developed characters, and enough suspense to keep you up all night. A powerful debut

A smartly written, deft thriller in which the fallout from the crime, rather than the crime itself, is the important thing. In asking us to consider how far we would go for those we love and what it means to part of a family, Caitlin Wahrer has written a compelling and thought-provoking book, which is also hard to put down

A riveting exploration of the devastating effects male sexual assault has on an ordinary family & asks the question how far would you go for family? Highly recommended

Damage is the very best kind of thriller, exploring how numerous lives are blown apart by a single crime. With a cast of characters whose nuanced back-stories are brilliantly-drawn but never laboured, this is a magnificent novel which plays out like the most addictive of tv series. The storytelling is masterful and I was hooked from page one until that exquisitely satisfying final chapter...

Disturbing and challenging, this whip-smart novel explores loyalty and justice, and makes you consider whether you'd be the upright person you like to think you are, when pushed to the limits of your morality. It'll keep you guessing and changing your mind until the sucker-punch of an ending

Nail-biting

A simmering and shocking tale, sensitively told

A nail-biting read

Compelling

A taut, disturbing, and brilliantly written psychological drama of the first order. You'll read for the quality of the prose, but also the amazing depth of characterization and mystery. Another great book from one of our finest writers.

Sisters has a hot, dark energy that thrums beneath the language like blood. Daisy Johnson’s portrayal of female relationships is sticky, close and true. It will seep into your skin and linger in your bones.

Johnson’s Sisters is haunted in the fullest sense; its very sentences governed by a sinister, spectral force. This is a novel we don’t so much read as wade through with our hands outstretched and our eyes clamped shut, holding our breath 'til morning.

Sisters is brilliant. Bold and tender. There is a physicality to its spell, muttered sometimes, sometimes screamed: we can empty of ourselves and become an object, while objects can flush with life. Daisy Johnson is a profound writer.

A beautiful, burning, disquieting marvel.

Very much for the gothic lovers amongst us and those that crave psychological suspense… [Sisters] has been compared to the likes of Shirley Jackson and Daphne du Maurier… This weaving of women’s bodies, sex, sisterhood with the physical world reminded me a lot of surrealist works by the likes of Dorothea Tanning and Frida Kahlo. Intriguing and a novel that stands out in its originality.

Johnson returns with a well-crafted, consistently surprising psychological thriller... When the revelations hit, they are intensely powerful. Readers of classic gothic fiction will find a contemporary master of the craft here.

Johnson-whose first novel, Everything Under (2018), made her the youngest author ever shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize-brings her nuanced sense of menace and intimate understanding of the perils of loving too much to this latest entry in her developing canon of dark places where the unspeakable speaks and speaks. A subtle book that brings to bear all its author's prodigious skill. A must-read.

A novel about family facing their darkest impulses while quarantined together? Highly relatable.

A brilliant portrayal of love and complex family relationships, with all the features of a Gothic mystery.

A lushly written, psychologically suspenseful narrative that's not easily forgotten.

A darkly disquieting thriller... The descriptions are vivid enough to stop you in your tracks, and the narrative draws to a psychologically apt conclusion.

A multi-dimensional shocker, where everything is not as clear cut as it initially seems, leading to a devastating conclusion. Fans of the darker and more mysteriously menacing work of Stephen King or the contemporary horror of Andrew Michael Hurley will adore Sisters.

Johnson has cultivated a striking style with recurring images and themes... [her] stories contain minimal dialogue and very little straightforward narration. They are instead characterised by the accumulation of sensory detail, the gradual revealing of character, and a building sense of dread.

Johnson pulls off a great feat in this book. We are propelled by her story, even while we barely know what it is; absorbed by characters at once abstract yet fully drawn. She allows just enough clarity to pierce through, like flashes of an image amid white noise, until finally we can grasp and appreciate the whole picture that has so thrillingly eluded us.

Sisters echoes Brontë's Wuthering Heights not only in its gothic elements and sombre descriptions of English landscapes but also in the idea of doomed love, love which becomes an omnipotent, harmful power... Sisters is chilling and unrestful in a way many horror stories aren't, the world of the novel itself a disturbing and anxious place.

An absorbing tale of sibling love and envy.

It's hard to deny the uncanny thrill generated by Johnson's blend of horror, nature writing and magical realism... As dazzling as a photographer's flash.