The Taxidermist's Lover

From award-winning author Polly Hallcomes a “lyrical debut” (Booklist, Starred Review) and contemporary gothic tale “filled with startling conclusions about the nature of art and love and death” (NYT Book Review).

A modern Gothic tale of a woman obsessed with her lover’s taxidermy creatures and haunted by her past.

One stormy Christmas, Scarlett recalls the ebb and flow of a yearlong love affair with Henry, a renowned taxidermist. Obsessed with his taxidermy creatures, she pushes him to outdo his colleague and world-famous rival in a crescendo of species-blending creativity. Scarlett will not be able to avoid a reckoning with her own past as Henry’s inventions creep into her own thoughts, dreams, and desires.

Drenched in the torrential rains of the Somerset moorland and the sensual pleasures of the characters, The Taxidermist’s Lover lures you ever deeper into Scarlett’s delightfully eerie world.

Bram Stoker Award Shortlist for Superior Achievement in a First Novel • IPPY Awards 2021 Gold Medal Winner

Polly Hall has been published in various anthologies and won competitions for her poetry and flash fiction. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University. A longstanding member of a Somerset writers’ group, she also teaches creative writing workshops. The Taxidermist’s Lover is her first novel.

She lives next to a cider factory with her cat, Vishnu. You can find out more about her writing projects at www.pollyhall.co.uk or @PollyHallWriter.

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