Rawblood
Rawblood is the 2016 debut horror novel by Catriona Ward.[1][2] The book was first published in the United Kingdom on 24 September 2015 through Weidenfeld & Nicolson.[3] The novel is published in the USA March 1st 2017 by Sourcebooks, as The Girl From Rawblood.[4]
Author | Catriona Ward |
---|---|
Audio read by | Victoria Fox Peter Kenny |
Country | United Kingdom, USA |
Language | English |
Genre | Horror, literary |
Publisher | Weidenfeld & Nicolson Sourcebooks |
Publication date | 2015 |
Media type | Print (hardback, paperback), ebook, audiobook |
Pages | 320 pages (UK hardback) |
ISBN | 978-0-297-60964-3 (Hardcover) |
Synopsis
At the book's start Iris Villarca is an eleven year old girl growing up in Dartmoor during 1910. She and her father live in a mansion named Rawblood, where he keeps her isolated from the general population. Iris's father justifies this isolation by stating that he fears that she will die from Horror autotoxicus, a disease that caused her mother's death and has been a reocurring ailment for the Villarca family. Despite this restriction Iris ends up befriending Tom Gilmore, only to find that their fathers are enemies. Iris's father discovers the relationship and tries to bribe her to stay away from Tom by paying for her tuition to medical school. She accepts the offer, but as time passes Iris secretly begins to believe that her father has made up the disease, unaware of her father's own past.
Reception
Strange Horizons reviewed Rawblood favorably, praising it for "deliver[ing] all the mystery and menace that one might hope for in a classic ghost story."[5] The Historical Novel Society also reviewed the work, calling the writing "powerful and atmospheric".[6] WHSmith selected Rawblood as a Fresh Talent title for Autumn 2016.[7]
Awards
- August Derleth Award for Best Horror Novel (2016, won)[8]
- Author's Club Best First Novel Award (2016, shortlisted) [9]
References
- Whiteley, Aliya (May 10, 2016). "10 strange novels of the British countryside". Den of Geek. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
- "How a childhood haunting inspired a novel". Western Morning News. 2015-12-29. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
- Shaffi, Sarah (May 13, 2014). "W&N buys 'chilling' debut". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
- http://www.sourcebooks.com/store/girl-from-rawblood.html
- Allan, Nina (December 2, 2015). "Strange Horizons Reviews: Rawblood by Catriona Ward, reviewed by Nina Allan". Strange Horizons. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
- "Rawblood by Catriona Ward (review)". Historical Novels Society. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
- https://blog.whsmith.co.uk/fresh-talent-autumn-2016/
- "Winners of the British Fantasy Awards 2016". British Fantasy Society. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
- http://www.thebookseller.com/news/double-success-myriad-authors-club-best-first-novel-award-327998