Synopsis
‘Lush, dreamlike, wholly intoxicating . . . a fever dream that I won’t soon forget’ – Ava Reid, author of A Study in Drowning
Once upon a time, on the edge of a forest, there was a lonely child with only his older sister for company. So his sister made him a playmate: Daye, a girl woven from carefully selected flowers and words.
Rory is gloriously happy, until he learns that Daye is a seasonal creature. At the end of each season, she must be woven back together or fall gruesomely apart. And when, one autumn, his sister fails to return home from university in time, Rory has no choice but to watch his best friend slowly crumble.
Realizing he can no longer rely on his sister to keep Daye alive, Rory determines he must leave home to learn how to do it himself. Rory sinks deeper into research and experiments to end the cycle of bloom and decay. But as Rory grows older, his thoughts turn darker . . .
An entrancing, inventive and unsettling reimagining of the story of Blodeuwedd from Welsh mythology, Honeysuckle by Bar Fridman-Tell is a feminist Frankenstein with flowers; a deliciously dark, twisted, horror-tinged fairy tale with rot at its heart . . .
'Thoughtful, evocative fantasy' – The Guardian
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What readers are saying about Honeysuckle:
‘I was totally mesmerized by this book. I couldn’t put it down’
‘The aching, gothic fairy tale of our time – fantasy horror, done to perfection’
‘Unlike anything I’ve read before’
'Bloody brilliant'
'Life-changing'
'Fans of botanical horror, character-driven stories, and folklore, this is not one to miss'
Details
Reviews
“A lush, dreamlike, wholly intoxicating novel with the elegant lyricism of modern fantasy and the deep, dark roots of ancient folklore. Honeysuckle is a fever dream that I won’t soon forget.”Ava Reid, Sunday Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning
“A hauntingly lyrical, fairytale-like horror. I was absolutely enthralled with Fridman-Tell’s lush world building and devastatingly beautiful prose . . . A searing addition to the literary horror genre, Honeysuckle offers a tale in which beauty is inextricably intertwined with rot, and with the unrelenting passage of time love serves as both a shield and a dagger”Kalynn Bayron, New York Times bestselling author of Cinderella is Dead
“Bar Fridman-Tell has created a rare, beguiling thing. A twisted, wild journey that deftly leads the reader through the forest of hopes and fears, Honeysuckle is a bold, haunting folktale for our times”Ami McKay, bestselling author of The Witches of New York and The Birth House
“Honeysuckle is a work of exquisite prose and deft magical realism. It is so nimble and elegant that the reader at first finds themselves in a dream-like world of beauty and childhood, surprised and delighted”Heather O’Neill, author of Lullabies for Little Criminals
