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Table of Contents
About The Book
An electric contemporary reimagining of the myth of Persephone and Demeter set over the course of one summer on a lush private island, exploring who holds the power in a modern underworld.
Camp counsellor Cory Ansel, eighteen and aimless, afraid to face her high-strung single mother in New York, is no longer sure where home is when the father of one of her campers offers an alternative.
The CEO of a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company, Rolo Picazo is middle-aged, divorced, magnetic. He is also intoxicated by Cory. When Rolo proffers a childcare job (and an NDA), Cory quiets an internal warning and allows herself to be ferried to his private island off the coast of Maine. Plied with luxury and opiates manufactured by his company, she continues to tell herself she’s in charge. Her mother, Emer, head of a teetering agricultural NGO, senses otherwise. When her daughter seemingly disappears, Emer crosses land and sea to heed a cry for help she alone is convinced she hears.
Alternating between the two women’s perspectives, Fruit of the Dead incorporates its mythic inspiration with a light touch and devastating precision. The result is a lush and haunting story that explores love, attraction, control, obliteration and America’s own late capitalist mythos.
Advance praise for Fruit of the Dead
'A gripping literary thriller, Fruit of the Dead presents a coming-of-age tale that is so well-observed and intoxicating that the reader will lose track of time, but won't forget how they spent it. Egan and Cline fans: assemble.' Caoilinn Hughes, author of The Wild Laughter
‘Ancient Greece meets Succession by way of Emma Cline, Fruit of the Dead is a deliciously dark examination of agency and power, and the savage complexity of the mother-daughter bond.’ Ruth Gilligan, author of The Butchers
‘Mesmerised and profoundly alarmed, I read this in one go; I’ve been haunted by it ever since. I’ve passionately loved Lyon’s writing for years, and Fruit of the Dead further confirms what I’ve long suspected: I want to lunge to read anything she writes.’ R. O. Kwon, author of The Incendiaries
‘Irresistible and devastating. Lyon has spun an utterly absorbing, lush and terror-laced retelling of an ancient, archetypal tale – a young woman tempted and taken, a mother’s feral grief – that is both timeless and crisply contemporary.' Melissa Febos, author of Girlhood
Camp counsellor Cory Ansel, eighteen and aimless, afraid to face her high-strung single mother in New York, is no longer sure where home is when the father of one of her campers offers an alternative.
The CEO of a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company, Rolo Picazo is middle-aged, divorced, magnetic. He is also intoxicated by Cory. When Rolo proffers a childcare job (and an NDA), Cory quiets an internal warning and allows herself to be ferried to his private island off the coast of Maine. Plied with luxury and opiates manufactured by his company, she continues to tell herself she’s in charge. Her mother, Emer, head of a teetering agricultural NGO, senses otherwise. When her daughter seemingly disappears, Emer crosses land and sea to heed a cry for help she alone is convinced she hears.
Alternating between the two women’s perspectives, Fruit of the Dead incorporates its mythic inspiration with a light touch and devastating precision. The result is a lush and haunting story that explores love, attraction, control, obliteration and America’s own late capitalist mythos.
Advance praise for Fruit of the Dead
'A gripping literary thriller, Fruit of the Dead presents a coming-of-age tale that is so well-observed and intoxicating that the reader will lose track of time, but won't forget how they spent it. Egan and Cline fans: assemble.' Caoilinn Hughes, author of The Wild Laughter
‘Ancient Greece meets Succession by way of Emma Cline, Fruit of the Dead is a deliciously dark examination of agency and power, and the savage complexity of the mother-daughter bond.’ Ruth Gilligan, author of The Butchers
‘Mesmerised and profoundly alarmed, I read this in one go; I’ve been haunted by it ever since. I’ve passionately loved Lyon’s writing for years, and Fruit of the Dead further confirms what I’ve long suspected: I want to lunge to read anything she writes.’ R. O. Kwon, author of The Incendiaries
‘Irresistible and devastating. Lyon has spun an utterly absorbing, lush and terror-laced retelling of an ancient, archetypal tale – a young woman tempted and taken, a mother’s feral grief – that is both timeless and crisply contemporary.' Melissa Febos, author of Girlhood
About The Author
Photograph by Pieter M. van Hattem
Rachel Lyon is the author of Fruit of the Dead and Self-Portrait with Boy, a finalist for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize. An editor emerita for Epiphany, she has taught creative writing at the Sackett Street Writers Workshop, Bennington College, and other institutions. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Rachel lives in western Massachusetts with her husband and two young children. Visit RachelLyon.work.
Product Details
- Publisher: Scribner UK (March 28, 2024)
- Length: 320 pages
- ISBN13: 9781398525009
Raves and Reviews
‘A gripping literary thriller, Fruit of the Dead presents a coming-of-age tale that is so well-observed and intoxicating that the reader will lose track of time, but won't forget how they spent it. Egan and Cline fans: assemble.’
– Caoilinn Hughes, author of The Wild Laughter
‘Ancient Greece meets Succession by way of Emma Cline, Fruit of the Dead is a deliciously dark examination of agency and power, and the savage complexity of the mother-daughter bond.’
– Ruth Gilligan, author of The Butchers
'Mesmerised and profoundly alarmed, I read this in one go; I’ve been haunted by it ever since. I’ve passionately loved Lyon’s writing for years, and Fruit of the Dead further confirms what I’ve long suspected: I want to lunge to read anything she writes.'
– R. O. Kwon, author of The Incendiaries
'A mesmerising contemporary reimagining of the Persephone myth, exploring power, desire and responsibility. A dizzying take on an age-old tale of temptation, seduction and enchantment.'
– Madeleine Feeny, The Bookseller
‘Pharma billionaire Hades? Yes please.’
– Lit Hub, Most Anticipated Books of 2024
‘Lyon puts a modern twist on the myth of Persephone and Demeter in this irresistible narrative of a naive teenager and her protective mother… The result is an affecting, engrossing, and resonant tale about lost innocence and the enduring bond between a mother and daughter.’
– Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
'Lyon’s skillful and luscious prose encourages empathy... an affecting novel with touches of the fantastical, weaving explorations of power, youth, wealth, and familial love.'
– Kirkus, Starred Review
‘An unnerving literary thriller... An absorbing exploration of ancient themes like power and temptation.’
– Mail on Sunday
'Superb... refreshing... Lyon twists the tale just enough to needle our conceptions of coercion and desire.'
– New York Times Book Review
'Riveting and lush… a spellbinding account of a young woman’s hunger for freedom, the sordid underbelly of big pharma, and the siren call of addiction.'
– Leslie Jamison
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): Fruit of the Dead eBook 9781398525009
- Author Photo (jpg): Rachel Lyon Photograph by Pieter M. van Hattem(0.1 MB)
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