The day Rowena Murray was born, 250 starlings fell like stones from the sky. Ever since, she has been marked by Death. First the visions; then her boyfriend died suddenly; now her father, too.
Salvation, Rowena is told, lies to the North: in Culcrith, where her grandmother can save her from the curse. Her mother's farmhand, a young Egyptian man named Halim, is to drive her.
The trip isn't easy. Rowena is rebellious, spiky, and sees bad omens everywhere; Halim is reserved, quiet and prefers to play by the rules; the land is mysterious and treacherous, with people who have married old traditions with new prejudices. The pair's battle of wills may yet develop into an alliance, if they can only let their guards down and let the wild in.
Exploring belief, loyalty and legacies beyond our control, Nadia Attia's thrilling debut is as magnetic and unpredictable as the curse Rowena is racing to escape.
Genre: Horror
Salvation, Rowena is told, lies to the North: in Culcrith, where her grandmother can save her from the curse. Her mother's farmhand, a young Egyptian man named Halim, is to drive her.
The trip isn't easy. Rowena is rebellious, spiky, and sees bad omens everywhere; Halim is reserved, quiet and prefers to play by the rules; the land is mysterious and treacherous, with people who have married old traditions with new prejudices. The pair's battle of wills may yet develop into an alliance, if they can only let their guards down and let the wild in.
Exploring belief, loyalty and legacies beyond our control, Nadia Attia's thrilling debut is as magnetic and unpredictable as the curse Rowena is racing to escape.
Genre: Horror
Praise for this book
"Steeped in folk horror but driven by post-Brexit anxiety, Verge imagines a startlingly original dystopian future that still has its roots in the old ways. A thrilling read and the herald of a significant new talent." - Dan Coxon
"Verge is a marvellous story of crossroads: crossroads of life, of magic, of politics, of place. I fell for Rowena and Halim; I was with them at every twist and turn of their strange journey. Come, it's the journey of a lifetime." - Francesco Dimitri
"A propulsive & hallucinatory road trip through a fractured UK with a cursed young woman & a man full of fire. Verge is literary folk horror of the highest calibre. A triumphant debut of huge ambition." - Eva Dolan
"Verge is a story of unity in light of a disunited Kingdom. Attia has written a vibrant and devastating tale of loss and love that strikes a minor melody at your very heart. Halim and Rowena are characters to treasure." - Saara El-Arifi
"Had me gripped from start to finish ... timely, horrifying, and hugely entertaining." - Kiran Millwood Hargrave
"Gripping and lyrical." - Claire Hennessy
"A strange and haunting debut ... Attia's spellbinding sentences and wonderful characters draw you into a story unlike any other. This is an author to watch." - T L Huchu
"An enthralling trip through a changed British landscape, funny and ominous by turns, digging deep into folk beliefs and the power of curses and blessings." - Kim Newman
"A gripping debut ... Verge swerves through a fascinating, fractured landscape of folkloric traditions and contemporary divisions, driving its compelling duo to the edge of their own wilderness, asking: what lies beyond the places we can't reach?" - Cari Thomas
"Verge is a marvellous story of crossroads: crossroads of life, of magic, of politics, of place. I fell for Rowena and Halim; I was with them at every twist and turn of their strange journey. Come, it's the journey of a lifetime." - Francesco Dimitri
"A propulsive & hallucinatory road trip through a fractured UK with a cursed young woman & a man full of fire. Verge is literary folk horror of the highest calibre. A triumphant debut of huge ambition." - Eva Dolan
"Verge is a story of unity in light of a disunited Kingdom. Attia has written a vibrant and devastating tale of loss and love that strikes a minor melody at your very heart. Halim and Rowena are characters to treasure." - Saara El-Arifi
"Had me gripped from start to finish ... timely, horrifying, and hugely entertaining." - Kiran Millwood Hargrave
"Gripping and lyrical." - Claire Hennessy
"A strange and haunting debut ... Attia's spellbinding sentences and wonderful characters draw you into a story unlike any other. This is an author to watch." - T L Huchu
"An enthralling trip through a changed British landscape, funny and ominous by turns, digging deep into folk beliefs and the power of curses and blessings." - Kim Newman
"A gripping debut ... Verge swerves through a fascinating, fractured landscape of folkloric traditions and contemporary divisions, driving its compelling duo to the edge of their own wilderness, asking: what lies beyond the places we can't reach?" - Cari Thomas
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