"Bewitching, chilling, and utterly compelling, five sisters become the target of ill will in an 18th century rural village."
Beautifully addictive, this memorable novel still haunts my thoughts. As a heatwave strikes, and strange things occur, five sisters find blame is flung their way. Debut author Xenobe Purvis writes with a bewitching pen, her descriptive detailing evokes feelings and the sense of place of Little Nettlebed ran amok through my thoughts. Even as the atmosphere and accusations lie heavy and wallow along with the heat, there is also a purity and lightness of touch to be found. The innocence of joy and the strength of friendship and love, butt up against the shackles of community and danger of mob hysteria. I absolutely adored the sense of intrigue that kept me company, I found myself swaying, uncertain as to what I was witnessing. There were times when I felt as though I was tiptoeing through glass shards, intently watchful, careful, ready to gather up my thoughts and run. This richly heady yet emotionally intelligent novel just had to enter our LoveReading Star Books Category, and I’ve also chosen it as a Liz Pick of the Month. Provocative and bewitching The Hounding is an intensely powerful read. Highly recommended.
| Primary Genre | Historical Fiction |
| Recommendations: |
**SHORTLISTED FOR THE AUTHORS' CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2026**
'Extraordinary . . . clever, strange and beautifully written' THE TIMES
'Prompts thoughts of both THE CRUCIBLE and THE VIRGIN SUICIDES . . . Purvis is an exquisitely accomplished wordsmith.' DAILY TELEGRAPH
'A taut, tense tale, impeccably told' FINANCIAL TIMES
'Feverish, finely wrought and unforgettable.' DAILY MAIL
'An unflinchingly strange and savage novel - a rare and twisted pleasure, and an unmissable must-read for every girl who has ever been made to feel strange.' LUCY ROSE, Sunday Times bestselling author of THE LAMB
'Haunting and beguiling, this fever dream of a novel draws you in and colours your mind all shades of doubt and suspicion.' STACEY HALLS, Sunday Times bestselling author of THE FAMILIARS
'Melancholy and bittersweet.' OTEGHA UWAGBA, Sunday Times bestselling author of LITTLE BLACK BOOK
'A novel of rare grace and skill, exquisitely wrought and simmering with feral violence.' ROWE IRVIN, author of LIFE CYCLE OF A MOTH
Many stories are told about the five Mansfield sisters. They are haughty, thinking themselves better than their neighbours in the picturesque village of Little Nettlebed. They have taken the death of their grandmother hard. They are liars, troublemakers, untamed and dangerous... Accounts of their behaviour differ, but the villagers all agree that the girls are odd.
One long summer, a heatwave descends. Bloated sea creatures wash up along the parched riverbed, animals grow frenzied, ravens gather on the roofs of those about to die. As the stifling heat grips the village, so does a strange rumour: the Mansfield sisters have been seen transforming into a pack of dogs.
With the witch trials only a recent memory, hysteria sets in. Slowly but surely, the villagers become convinced that something strange is taking root in Little Nettlebed. And when a bark finally leads to a bite, the sisters will be the ones to pay for it.
Visceral and richly atmospheric, The Hounding plunges its reader into 18th century Oxfordshire, where the power of a man's word is absolute, and it is safer to be a wild animal than an unconventional young woman.
***
'Utterly bizarre in the best way possible' Reader Review
'A glorious shimmering heat mirage of a novel' Reader Review
'A visceral and consuming fever dream of a book' Reader Review
'Tense, almost claustrophobic' Reader Review
'Sharp and extremely enjoyable' Reader Review
The Hounding features in the following genres: Liz Robinson's Picks of the Month, Star Books, Historical Fiction
The Hounding is available in Paperback, Hardback
The Hounding was written by Xenobe Purvis and published by Penguin Books an imprint of Cornerstone
The Hounding has 144 pages
£8.99
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