2021 Dragon Award for Best Horror Novel (nominee)
2020 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel (nominee)
A modern Gothic tale of a woman obsessed with her lover's taxidermy creatures and haunted by her past.
When Scarlett meets taxidermist Henry, a passionate love affair commences. One year later, on Christmas Day, Scarlett recalls the ebb and flow of their intense relationship and tries to unravel her obsession with Henry's taxidermy creatures and the influence of his rival, Felix. Both enchanted and entrapped by the isolated rural environment on the Somerset moorland she calls home, Scarlett reaches out to her only remaining family, twin brother Rhett, to make sense of the secrets they share. Soon Scarlett realizes that past promises have far reaching consequences. Drenched in the torrential rains of rural South West England and the sensual pleasures of the characters, The Taxidermist's Lover lures you ever deeper into Scarlett's delightfully eerie world.
In the book’s most thrilling passages, Scarlett rides the cusp of realizing the deep inequities in her relationship, the way Henry controls her, and the destructive power of her imagination, making The Taxidermist’s Lover a luxurious, macabre romance.” —Foreword Reviews
For consumer: “Creepy and sensual . . . the tension between Scarlett and Henry is riveting . . . making The Taxidermist’s Lover a luxurious, macabre romance.” —Foreword Reviews
“Rich, decadent prose . . . allusions to The Bride of Frankenstein nicely ground the ending in the gothic tradition.” —Publishers Weekly
“As strange as it is disturbing . . . It’s [Scarlett’s] highly personal confessional tone, exposed internal conflicts, grotesque dreams, and desires that draw the reader in.” —Kirkus Reviews
Genre: Horror
When Scarlett meets taxidermist Henry, a passionate love affair commences. One year later, on Christmas Day, Scarlett recalls the ebb and flow of their intense relationship and tries to unravel her obsession with Henry's taxidermy creatures and the influence of his rival, Felix. Both enchanted and entrapped by the isolated rural environment on the Somerset moorland she calls home, Scarlett reaches out to her only remaining family, twin brother Rhett, to make sense of the secrets they share. Soon Scarlett realizes that past promises have far reaching consequences. Drenched in the torrential rains of rural South West England and the sensual pleasures of the characters, The Taxidermist's Lover lures you ever deeper into Scarlett's delightfully eerie world.
In the book’s most thrilling passages, Scarlett rides the cusp of realizing the deep inequities in her relationship, the way Henry controls her, and the destructive power of her imagination, making The Taxidermist’s Lover a luxurious, macabre romance.” —Foreword Reviews
For consumer: “Creepy and sensual . . . the tension between Scarlett and Henry is riveting . . . making The Taxidermist’s Lover a luxurious, macabre romance.” —Foreword Reviews
“Rich, decadent prose . . . allusions to The Bride of Frankenstein nicely ground the ending in the gothic tradition.” —Publishers Weekly
“As strange as it is disturbing . . . It’s [Scarlett’s] highly personal confessional tone, exposed internal conflicts, grotesque dreams, and desires that draw the reader in.” —Kirkus Reviews
Genre: Horror
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Used availability for Polly Hall's The Taxidermist's Lover