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Death Do Us
- Author
- Ruthy Mason
- Narrator
- Catrin Walker-Booth
- Publisher
- Little, Brown Book Group
- Publish Date
- 25 June 2026
- Run Time
- 11 hours 13 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
'Wry, revolting, witty and wonderful' Emma van Straaten, author of This Immaculate Body
'Mason deploys numerous sleights of hand to keep the source of the trouble uncertain and the reader in suspense' The Spectator
A haunting debut that peels back the veil from the institution of marriage and exposes the rot underneath.
Bea has just got engaged. It should be the most exciting time of her life, but she can't shake the feeling that something is wrong. Her engagement ring doesn't fit - her finger is swollen and painful. As she begins to look at dresses and venues, she notices her skin is flaking and her hair is beginning to thin.
Nor can she shake the memories of a previous proposal from her ex-boyfriend a decade earlier. Back then, she was resistant to commitment, young, confident, with her whole life ahead of her. If she ever were to marry, she'd always imagined breaking with tradition - an elopement, a brightly-coloured outfit, an open marriage.
But as plans for the big day solidify, Bea begins to see the appeal of a big white dress, a huge reception, and a life with just one man. Yet the engagement ring is getting tighter and tighter. Something is crawling under her skin. Someone is watching them from the shadows...
'A psychological-thriller-slash-body-horror story about the often-suffocating expectations of womanhood? Say no more' Marie Claire, The 13 Best Novels of 2026 That You Absolutely Need to Read
'Death Do Us is the body horror send-up of the wedding industrial complex I didn't know I needed' E.K. Sathue, author of youthjuice
Critics Review
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Mason deploys numerous sleights of hand to keep the source of the trouble uncertain and the reader in suspense. Past and present blur uneasily together and the sinister camp of the bridezilla is used to satisfying effect
The Spectator
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Creepy and mysterious, with sharp commentary on modern matrimony . . . The opening and closing sections in particular crackle with atmosphere, energy and tension
Irish Times
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A gloriously visceral feminist body horror about the rotten institution of marriage? Sign me up. I was hooked by this queasy, crawling, darkly funny novel that kept me guessing until the very end. Wry, revolting, witty and wonderful, I couldn't look away even as I longed to cover my eyes. Sharply written and entirely compelling.
Emma van Straaten, author of This Immaculate Body
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A daring and dark debut that totally devoured me! The kind of book you read with one eye closed but can't put down
Leena Norms
See more reviews See fewer reviews
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A psychological-thriller-slash-body-horror story about the often-suffocating expectations of womanhood? Say no more.
Marie Claire, The 13 Best Novels of 2026 That You Absolutely Need to Read
-
Death Do Us is the body horror send-up of the wedding industrial complex I didn't know I needed. Ruthy Mason combines skin-crawling imagery and smartly deployed satire to explore questions of ambition, desire, and what it really costs to throw a wedding. Twisty and grotesque, this book had me ignoring my responsibilities until I turned the final page
E.K. Sathue, author of youthjuice
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Death Do Us bears the hallmarks of all good body and feminist horror, wrapping societal issues in graphic descriptions and disturbing situations. Thanks to Mason's clever and engaging prose, the reader of this literary debut understands that behind the gore is Bea's deep struggle to decide who she wants to be. Is that a wife? Is it wrapped up in a past love Bea cannot seem to let go of? Or is Bea just desperate to choose her own path? For fans of Rachel Yoder's Nightbitch or Mariana Enriquez's Our Share of Night.
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Details
- Author
- Ruthy Mason
- Narrator
- Catrin Walker-Booth
- Duration
- 11 hours 13 minutes
- Release Date
- 25 June 2026
- ISBN
- 9781472161604
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Little, Brown Book Group
- Genre
- Fiction: literary and general non-genre
Synopsis
'The kind of book you read with one eye closed but can't put down' Leena Norms'Wry, revolting, witty and wonderful' Emma van Straaten, author of This Immaculate Body'Mason deploys numerous sleights of hand to keep the source of the trouble uncertain and the reader in suspense' The SpectatorA haunting debut that peels back the veil from the institution of marriage and exposes the rot underneath. Bea has just got engaged. It should be the most exciting time of her life, but she can't shake the feeling that something is wrong. Her engagement ring doesn't fit - her finger is swollen and painful. As she begins to look at dresses and venues, she notices her skin is flaking and her hair is beginning to thin.Nor can she shake the memories of a previous proposal from her ex-boyfriend a decade earlier. Back then, she was resistant to commitment, young, confident, with her whole life ahead of her. If she ever were to marry, she'd always imagined breaking with tradition - an elopement, a brightly-coloured outfit, an open marriage.But as plans for the big day solidify, Bea begins to see the appeal of a big white dress, a huge reception, and a life with just one man. Yet the engagement ring is getting tighter and tighter. Something is crawling under her skin. Someone is watching them from the shadows...'A psychological-thriller-slash-body-horror story about the often-suffocating expectations of womanhood? Say no more' Marie Claire, The 13 Best Novels of 2026 That You Absolutely Need to Read'Death Do Us is the body horror send-up of the wedding industrial complex I didn't know I needed' E.K. Sathue, author of youthjuice
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