Margot and her mother reside in a small cabin off the beaten path in rural England. The pair spend their days in isolation – when Margot isn’t in school – and keep an eye out for wandering souls they call “strays”. Mama lures them in with promises of food, warmth and shelter, but unfortunately for the lost, she has something sinister in mind for their guests.

Everything changes when a beautiful woman named Eden appears on their doorstep. She isn’t like the others and when she joins in on their hobby, Margot starts to lose her own place in the family.

Lucy Rose’s foray into cannibalism is certainly unflinching as there were moments where Rose wrote the dissections and digestions with such unapologetic clarity. I like to think I have a strong stomach for this stuff, but even I had to look away at times. That said, the novel is about much more than its horrifying scenes – it’s at times a blistering commentary on parenthood and regret, as well as a coming-of-age story about the power of friendship and longing for acceptance.

And my goodness, that ending. It left my head reeling to the point where I felt drunk upon closing the book. When it comes to horror novels I’ve read so far this year, I’m eating well (sorry).