Author:Nancy Tucker,Kristin Atherton
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'Tense, addictive and powered by an unforgettable narrative voice.' PAULA HAWKINS
'A darkly dazzling debut, a harrowing story of neglect and cruelty written with a delicate touch and a big heart. As gripping as the tensest of thrillers and as moving and humane as the most intimate of memoirs.' LISA JEWELL
'An exceptional debut which both chilled and moved me from the very first page. I cannot overstate how much I loved this book.' CLARE MACKINTOSH
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'So that was all it took,' I thought. 'That was all it took for me to feel like I had all the power in the world. One morning, one moment, one yellow-haired boy. It wasn't so much after all.'
Chrissie knows how to steal sweets from the shop without getting caught, the best hiding place for hide-and-seek, the perfect wall for handstands.
Now she has a new secret. It gives her a fizzing, sherbet feeling in her belly. She doesn't get to feel power like this at home, where food is scarce and attention scarcer.
Fifteen years later, Julia is trying to mother her five-year-old daughter, Molly. She is always worried - about affording food and school shoes, about what the other mothers think of her. Most of all she worries that the social services are about to take Molly away.
That's when the phone calls begin, which Julia is too afraid to answer, because it's clear the caller knows the truth about what happened all those years ago.
And it's time to face the truth: is forgiveness and redemption ever possible for someone who has killed?
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'The First Day of Spring is Nancy Tucker's first work of fiction and MY GOD this is OUTSTANDING.... This book is so powerful and so disturbing that I will be thinking about it for months to come. Without a doubt this goes into my Top Ten Books of 2021' TRACY FENTON
'A gripping, unsettling debut novel ... By the end of the novel, the voices of Chrissie and Julia reside deep in your skull: visceral and wicked, sad and wonderful, all at the same time.' ABIGAIL DEAN
'The First Day Of Spring is a gut-wrenching tale about the effects of neglect and loneliness on a child. Eight-year-old Chrissie's voice is so raw and authentic that I could not stop turning the pages, desperate to find out what she would do next. A harrowing, incisive debut.' STEPHANIE WROBEL, author of The Recovery of Rose Gold
'Chilling, thought-provoking, and compulsively readable, The First Day of Spring is a novel that will break your heart on every page and never leave you. I loved it.' ASHLEY AUDRAIN, author of The Push
'Tucker wastes no time grabbing the reader in her chilling debut novel ... a riveting thriller in every sense, but Tucker is asking big questions, too. Can society forgive the unforgivable? Does everyone deserve a second chance? She forces us to reconsider the perils of poverty and neglect. A chilling suspense novel about guilt, responsibility, and redemption.' KIRKUS
'A spectacular fiction debut . . . The taut, meticulously observed narration mines the dangers that childhood trauma causes. Fans of Lisa Jewell and smart psychological suspense will eagerly await Tucker's next.' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
'This sharp-edged and highly discussable book is difficult to put down.' BOOKLIST
'Exquisite ... You won't be able to stop looking - or reading, for that matter.' B&N READS
'A stunning debut... Suspenseful? You bet. Heart-rending? From beginning to end.' WASHINGTON POST
'Stylish, cunning ... Tucker follows one woman's reckoning with the quarantines of her childhood, seeking love amid dark secrets hiding in the nooks and crannies of all our lives.' OPRAH DAILY
An extraordinary and heart-rending novel'
—— ObserverA 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
—— Shari Lapena, Sunday Times and internationally bestselling authorA 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.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the WindowA 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
—— Gillian McAllister, Sunday Times bestselling authorThe whodunnit tipped to be this summer's must-read
—— Daily MailSensational. 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
—— Daily MailA tense psychological thriller, full of twists yet acutely attuned to the mental and physical effects of violence. It feels utterly authentic. A remarkable debut
—— Sunday TimesA 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
—— CosmopolitanDamage 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
—— Jeffrey Deaver, Sunday Times and internationally bestselling authorGritty and suspenseful . . . Splices small-town family drama with nervy psychological noir. An explosively slow-burn guessing game
—— MetroSmart, suspenseful and timely, this accomplished debut takes us on a journey through the emotional fall-out from one ugly night in a small town
—— Gilly Macmillan, author of The NannyCaitlin digs into our perceptions around masculinity, consent and what it means when violation becomes public knowledge. Twisty family drama . . . Skilful
—— GraziaDelightfully unpredictable, The Damage is a relatable tale about the desire to protect your family. I ripped through it one sitting
—— Brian Moylan, author of The Housewives: The Real Story Behind the Real HousewivesA devastating, life affirming, heart thumping exploration of family, brotherhood and what people will do to protect the ones we love. Highly recommended
—— Holly Seddon, author of The Hit List and Try Not to BreatheA blisteringly smart and evocative novel, with a compelling premise, richly developed characters, and enough suspense to keep you up all night. A powerful debut
—— Bruce Holsinger, national bestselling author of The Gifted SchoolA 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
—— Araminta Hall, author of Imperfect Women , -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
—— Laure Van RensburgDamage 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...
—— Charlotte Philby, author of Part of the FamilyDisturbing 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
—— WI LifeNail-biting
—— Sunday ExpressA simmering and shocking tale, sensitively told
—— Crime MonthlyA nail-biting read
—— OK!Compelling
—— BustleA 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.
—— Jeff VanderMeer, author of AnnihilationSisters 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.
—— Jessica Andrews, author of SaltwaterJohnson’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.
—— Sue Rainsford, author of Follow Me to the GroundSisters 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.
—— Cynan Jones, author of The DigA beautiful, burning, disquieting marvel.
—— Megan Hunter, author of The HarpyVery 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.
—— Victoria SadlerJohnson 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.
—— Publisher's Weekly, *StarredReview*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.
—— Kirkus, *Starred Review*A novel about family facing their darkest impulses while quarantined together? Highly relatable.
—— Vulture, *Summer Reads 2020*A brilliant portrayal of love and complex family relationships, with all the features of a Gothic mystery.
—— PsychologiesA lushly written, psychologically suspenseful narrative that's not easily forgotten.
—— Hephzibah Anderson , Mail on SundayA darkly disquieting thriller... The descriptions are vivid enough to stop you in your tracks, and the narrative draws to a psychologically apt conclusion.
—— Lucy Whetman , TalkTalk NewsA 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.
—— David Nobakht , Buzz MagazineJohnson 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.
—— Anna Leszkiewicz , New StatesmanJohnson 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.
—— Maria Crawford , Financial TimesSisters 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.
—— Elizaveta Kolesova , UpcomingAn absorbing tale of sibling love and envy.
—— Citizen FemmeIt'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.
—— Anthony Cummins , Literary Review