‘One of the most startlingly original writers we’ve got.’ —A K Blakemore, Guardian
A little girl throws up Gloria-Jean’s teeth after an explosion at the custard factory; Pax, Alexander, and Angelo are hypnotically enthralled by a book that promises them enlightenment if they keep their semen inside their bodies; Victoria is sent to a cursed hotel for ailing girls when her period mysteriously stops. In a damp, putrid spa, the exploitative drudgery of work sparks revolt; in a Margate museum, the new Director curates a venomous garden for public consumption.
In Grudova’s unforgettably surreal style, these stories expose the absurdities behind contemporary ideas of work, Britishness and art-making, to conjure a singular, startling strangeness that proves the deft skill of a writer at the top of her game.
Despre autor
Camilla Grudova is the author of The Doll’s Alphabet (Fitzcarraldo Editions) and Children of Paradise (Atlantic Books), longlisted for the 2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction. She is one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists and winner of the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novelette. The Coiled Serpent (Unnamed Press, 2024) is her latest collections of short stories. She currently lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.