Rottenheart

“Feed this directly into my veins.” —Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author

From the bestselling author of Hungerstone, an intoxicating and chilling gothic horror novel that reimagines Hamlet with a seductive sapphic twist—and where the only thing more dangerous than a family secret is a mother's revenge.

Revenge me. For I am murdered . . .

Odette and her best friend Cecilia live between their grand homes in Hampstead and the imposing, ancient Herne House in Suffolk. Odette’s mother, Lydia, is almost parasitic in her neediness, but despite her, Odette and Cecilia come of age together—free to roam, to learn, and to love. When Lydia inexplicably sickens and dies, a dark veil falls. Odette’s father retreats to his study, while her aunt—the cold and cruel Claudine—increasingly takes charge of the household. Lost in grief and spiraling into madness, Odette disappears into the shadows, leaving Cecilia alone and with her affections tested.

As Claudine is announced as Odette's new stepmother, the girls reckon with this final betrayal, and a sinister presence awakens. To her horror, Odette realizes that her mother never truly left. She now haunts the manor, ready to drag long held secrets into the light and exact revenge against those who thought her dead and gone.

A visceral tale of grief and madness, Rottenheart exhumes the heart of Hamlet to tell a fearless queer love story laced with an unforgettable haunting, asking whether we can truly outrun our suffering, or if we are forever indebted to the vengeful dead.Praise for Rottenheart

“Feed this directly into my veins.” —Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author

“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, and I’m certain it’s her most extraordinary novel yet.” —Lucy Rose, author of The Lamb

Praise for Hungerstone

NPR Best Book of the Year • Goodreads Choice Award Finalist

“The lesbian vampire novel we need.” —Them

“A rich and daring reimagining that brings the beating heart of Carmilla to life again. Hungerstone is a delicious tribute to the inherent horrors of womanhood and the desperate and exquisite vulgarity of desire. This is everything I dream of in a novel.” —Ava Reid, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning and Lady Macbeth

“While sapphics everywhere thank Sheridan Le Fanu for his service, Kat Dunn’s juicy Hungerstone expertly recasts Carmilla’s story from a much-needed female perspective.” —Elle

“An atmospheric, blood-drenched, feminist twist on classic vampire tropes, a sapphic delight and industrial horror story.” —Shelf Awareness

“It’s everything you love about the original, but, like, even queerer.” —Book Riot

“Extraordinary…. A dark, sensuous, gothic story of female appetite, ravenous desire and insatiable rage. A blood-drenched, glittering, jewel of a novel.” —Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne and Atalanta

“Gives Carmilla a bold, feminist retelling.” —Town & Country

“An intoxicating and vivid take on the gothic novel. Sensual and vicious, Lenore’s devastating story of self-discovery, betrayal and power feels like one for the ages.” —Hannah Kaner, author of GodkillerKat 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. Her YA has been published by Head of Zeus and Andersen Press in the UK.