Life Cycle of a Moth

AN OBSERVER BEST DEBUT OF 2025

'Astonishing' LUCY ROSE 'Biting and rich' MOLLY AITKEN 'Unforgettable' OBSERVER 'A novel of rare power' GABRIELLE GRIFFITHS

An itchy feeling. A wrinkle in the forest. A cracking twig. A coming sound.

Myma, do you hear it? Myma, do you hear? Myma?

Maya and Daughter live in complete isolation in a secluded woodland, their days aligned with the light and changing seasons, a complex pattern of routine and ritual. Daughter has never questioned the life her mother has chosen for them; the life that has meant she's never met another soul, or known anywhere except their forest home.

But one day, when Daughter is almost sixteen, a red-haired stranger steps into the confines of their territory. Where there was always two, suddenly there are three - and the carefully constructed world that Maya has built to keep her daughter safe may not survive it.

Urgent, haunting and thrillingly alive, Life Cycle of a Moth explores both the tenderness and ferocity of maternal love, asking what we might find ourselves capable of - and willing to sacrifice - in order to shelter those we hold dear.