It’s hard to write about Lucy Rose’s novel, The Lamb, without tumbling down a well of seemingly endless food-based metaphors. A deliciously dark debut, anyone? This is one of the most eagerly anticipated novels of 2025: not bad for a debut, especially one soaked in blood.

Set in contemporary Cumbria, it tells the tale of Mama and Margot: a mother and daughter who live by the forest and mostly keep themselves to themselves, waiting for the next ‘stray’ to knock on their door and sate their appetite. But one stray, the mysterious Eden, turns out to be one of their own, causing a rupture in the dynamics of the house, forcing Margot to re-evaluate her upbringing and what she wants from life, and from others. Her reclamation will, quite literally, take guts.

This is a cannibalistic coming of age story about not conforming to expectations, whether in a social, romantic, or mother-daughter context. The middle of the novel drags slightly, hampered by too many slow domestic scenes, but this is compensated with a thrilling final act, and the writing at times recalls Shirley Jackon in its taut simplicity. This dark and bloody tale will leave horror fans hungry for more.