Rottenheart

From the author of Hungerstone, an unmissable gothic, sapphic, gender-swapped reimagining of Hamlet

Revenge me. For I am murdered . . .

Odette and Cecilia are young women, living between their grand homes in Hampstead and the imposing, ancient Herne House in Suffolk. Though Odette's artist mother Lydia keeps a tight grasp on her, she and her beloved Cecilia are mostly left free to roam, to learn and to love.

But when Lydia inexplicably sickens and dies, a dark veil falls. As the funeral rites are performed, Odette's aunt, the cold and implacable Claudine, increasingly takes charge of the household, while her father retreats to his study. Odette, lost in grief, disappears into the shadows.

But as Claudine is announced as Odette's new stepmother, a sinister presence in the house makes itself known. To her horror, Odette realises that despite her death, Lydia never really left. And now she wants revenge . . .

Inspired by Hamlet, the ultimate revenge tragedy, Rottenheart is the stunning new sapphic gothic horror novel from Kat Dunn, the lauded author of Hungerstone and Bitterthorn. Set in the 1890s, this a story of love and grief, mothers and daughters, death and madness.

Review

Feed this directly into my veins. ― Taylor Jenkins Reid, bestselling author of Atmosphere

Rottenheart will transport you. It's a darkly intoxicating and fierce sapphic retelling of Hamlet, filled with longing, rage, and grief. Kat Dunn has crafted something haunting, beguiling and mesmerizing andI'm certain it's her most extraordinary novel yet ― Lucy Rose, bestselling author of The Lamb

Sinister and devastating. Rottenheart depicts vengeance as tragedy and tragedy as vengeance. It completely wrecked me. I am bereft. I want to read it again and again and again ― Bea Fitzgerald, bestselling author of Girl, Goddess, Queen

A darkly intoxicating, sinister story shot through with beautiful and delicate sapphic yearning. Kat Dunn's writing is as vivid and immersive as ever, drawing the reader into her immaculately realised ghostly and gothic world. Hauntingly brilliant. ― Jennifer Saint

Dunn's retelling of Hamlet turns the lights on the psychological horror of the story. A gripping tale of grief and love, splendid with detail and completely transporting ― Sarvat Hasin, author of The Giant Dark

Rottenheart is a gut-wrenching and lavishly written sapphic reimagining of Shakespeare's Hamlet, a feast of maternal possessiveness and the tragedy of those daughters who must strive in vain to earn a capricious love that's meant to be unconditional. A close to the bone portrait of human cruelty, of our maddening obligation to our parents, and of loving someone whose capacity to hurt us is so primal not even death can limit it. With customary flair, Kat Dunn shines an unforgiving light on the heavy burden of being someone's daughter ― Leigh Radford, author of One Yellow Eye

Dark and twisty and full of excruciatingly delicious sapphic longing. A haunting tale that kept me hooked right to the very last word. ― Ahana Virdi, author of SOUR FRUIT

A darkly intoxicating, sinister story shot through with beautiful and delicate sapphic yearning. Kat Dunn's writing is as vivid and immersive as ever, drawing the reader into her immaculately realised ghostly and gothic world. Hauntingly brilliant. ― Jennifer Saint

A dark, sensual delight. ― Heat Book of the Week

About the Author

Kat Dunn grew up in London and has lived in Japan, Australia and France. She has a BA in Japanese from SOAS and an MA in English from Warwick. She's written about mental health for Mind and the Guardian and worked as a translator for Japanese television. Kat Dunn's YA fiction has been published by Head of Zeus and Andersen Press, including Bitterthorn, which was shortlisted for the Nero Book Awards and the Polari Prize and nominated for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing. Hungerstone was her hugely acclaimed adult fiction debut. Follow Kat @KatAliceDunn