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The Unravelling

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What to expect

Two women.
A wild Island.
A truth buried deep in the past.

‘Like a surreal cabinet of curiosities – haunting, eerie, evocative’ Bridget Collins, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Binding

‘This moving tale is set in a mesmerising world’ Heat

‘Polly Crosby whips up a lush, mythical world in this dream-like novel . . . A book worm’s treat!’Eve Chase, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Glass House

Tartelin Brown is all alone in the world. So when she sees an advert for a job on a remote island, she knows she has nothing to lose.

Her employer, Marianne Stourbridge, is a woman as strange and mysterious as the place she inhabits.

Tasked with hunting butterflies for Marianne’s research, Tartelin quickly uncovers evidence of something even more intriguing – for Marianne has a remarkable past.

Determined to piece together the story, Tartelin must first confront her own. But what she discovers on the island is more terrible and heart-breaking than she could ever have imagined.

Atmospheric and deeply emotional, The Unravelling is the captivating novel from the author of The Illustrated Child.

Readers love The Unravelling…

‘I absolutely loved The Unravelling, and there is something really special about Crosby's beautiful and immersive storytelling’

‘A beautiful haunting and uniquely captivating book’

‘If you enjoyed The Lost Apothecary or The Mermaid of Black Conch, then this is definitely for you'

'A gorgeously written story, atmospheric and hauntingly beautiful. Captivating and totally immersive. It is one for those that like delving into mysteries of the past, to discover more about a family and to discover the secrets'

Critics Review

  • ‘Like a surreal cabinet of curiosities – haunting, eerie, evocative.’ Bridget Collins, author of The Binding

    ‘Polly Crosby whips up a lush, mythical world . . . realised beautifully in vivid writing. A book worm’s treat!’ Eve Chase, author of The Glass House

    ‘This moving tale is set in a mesmerising world. Like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, the story emerges slowly, allowing you to immerse yourself in its wonders.’ Heat

    ‘A luminous and beautiful novel that gently lures the reader into a captivating story with a mystery at its heart.’ Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne

    ‘Rich and evocative storytelling is at the heart of this beautifully atmospheric book.’ My Weekly

    ‘A beautifully written tale of butterflies, secrets and silk’ Sonia Velton, author of Blackberry and Wild Rose

    ‘Immersive, atmospheric and so very imaginative.’ Kate Sawyer, author of The Stranding

    ‘Polly Crosby is a skilled storyteller, drawing the reader in . . . Will keep you enthralled’ Elizabeth Lee, author of Cunning Women

    ‘Dreamy image after image, The Unravelling is like a series of beautiful paintings’ Sara Sheridan, author of The Fair Botanists

    ‘Fluid and poetic … the story is of butterflies and silkworms, of flying free and being pinned, of characters and landscapes concealing layer upon layer of tightly wound secrets which eventually unspool in a series of dramatic metamorphosis.’
    Norfolk Magazine

    ‘Utterly transporting. Polly Crosby plunges us into a hauntingly beautiful landscape with complex and compelling characters.’ Annabel Abbs, author of The Language of Food

    ‘Imaginative and intriguing, this is packed with tender moments.’ Woman’s Weekly

    ‘Mysterious and suspenseful, The Unravelling is a story of visceral beauty and the transformations life undergoes to survive.’ A. J. Gnuse, author of The Girl in the Walls

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