The Lamb by Lucy Rose

CONTENT WARNING: Extreme horror isn't for the faint of heart. These books may contain graphic violence, disturbing imagery, explicit subject matter, and other potentially upsetting content. Reader discretion is strongly advised. Proceed at your own risk.

DAKOTA JOHNSON TEATIME BOOK CLUB PICK - INSTANT #2 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER - WINNER OF THE NOTA BENE PRIZE - SHIRLEY JACKSON AWARDS NOMINEE

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.

Author Biography:

Lucy Rose's fiction and nonfiction have been published by Dread Central, Mslexia, The Observer, The Nerd Daily, and more. Her films have visited BAFTA- and Oscar-qualifying film festivals internationally. She is also a Forbes 30 Under 30 and a Nota Bene Award winner. Lucy's Sunday Times bestselling debut novel, The Lamb, was selected for Dakota Johnson's TeaTime Book Club, and Foyles Book of the Month, and was named best debut novel of the year by Cosmopolitan and Spotify. It was a Goodreads Choice Award Finalist and Netgalley's Literary Fiction Novel of the Year. Lucy lives on the northeast coast of England.

Published date: Feb. 17, 2026

Publisher: Harper Perennial

Print length: 336 pages

Language: English

ISBN-13: 9780063374614