A gripping, sinister folktale set in contemporary Cumbria for fans of Sophie Mackintosh, Angela Carter, Daisy Johnson, Margaret Atwood and Julia Armfield.

Named a most anticipated novel of 2025 by COSMOPOLITAN, LIT HUB, GOODREADS, BBC and more

'The Lamb . . . has already created a buzz' 
SUNDAY TIMES

'A masterful, modern folktale . . . I'm not sure I can adequately explain how brilliant The Lamb is - let's just say there is a reason that it's set to be the literary debut of 2025'
HAZEL, BOOKSELLER

'Deliciously dark and shockingly bold. One of my favourite debuts in a long time'
KIRSTY LOGAN

'Stunning, shocking and surprising at each turn - everything one would want from a novel, and so much more'
BENJAMIN MYERS

'A new generation of literary horror begins with Lucy Rose'
GENEVIEVE JAGGER

'This book has permanently changed my brain chemistry and the way I view the world'
CAITLIN, BOOKSELLER

'An unforgettable, nightmarish tale. I ate it all up'
ANNA BOGUTSKAYA

'Haunting. Brilliantly written. A masterpiece . . . one of the top novels of 2025'
AMOY, BOOKSELLER

'A modern Grimm fairytale'
SUSAN BARKER

'Dark, poetic, gothic, folky and full of courage and beauty'
TIM DOWNIE

'I didn't just like it, I loved it . . . This is absolutely going to be the feral girl novel of 2025'
RED, BOOKSELLER

'Dear reader, I predict you will be as obsessed as me' 
MOLLY AITKEN

A FOLK TALE. A HORROR STORY. A LOVE STORY. AN ENCHANTMENT.
Margot and Mama have lived by the forest since Margot can remember. When Margot isn't at school, they spend quiet days together in their cottage, waiting for strangers to knock on their door. Strays, Mama calls them. 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 white-toothed stray named Eden turns up in the heart of a snowstorm, little Margot must confront the shifting dynamics of her family, untangle her own desires and make a bid for freedom.

With this tender 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.