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What the Forest Devours
- Author
- Elaine Vilar Madruga
- Narrator
- Eve Passeltiner
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Publish Date
- 24 September 2026
- Run Time
- 11 hours
- Format
- Audiobook
- Genre
- Fiction: literary and general non-genre, Horror, ghost stories and supernatural fiction, Contemporary horror, ghost stories and supernatural fiction, Myths and Legends / Mythic fiction, Narrative theme: death, grief, loss, Narrative theme: social issues / social problems, Narrative theme: sense of place
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What to expect
Benedicta has given birth, over and over. But she will never be a mother.
Benedicta lives with her mother, her sister and her many children on a hacienda surrounded by dense rainforest.
The jungle is a hungry god: it allows them to live safely away from a ruthless world of guerrillas and drug traffickers, but at a terrible price. Its voracity is never-ending, and those who live under its control must offer up their children in a sacrificial cycle powered by blood and madness.
One day Romina, a pregnant sex worker from the nearest town, emerges from the rainforest. Will she be the one to break the cycle?
Brutal, powerful and deeply unsettling, this Caribbean gothic fable about motherhood and the female body is a truly unique and unforgettable novel, from a writer at the peak of her powers.
Critics Review
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‘This shocking novel is the blood that we cannot stop seeing, a story about the voracity of violence, motherhood and death in the jungle, about what makes us human and what makes us cruel. Elaine Vilar Madruga is a powerful, elegant and daring voice. I want to read everything she writes' Mariana Enríquez, author of THE DANGERS OF SMOKING IN BED
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'A deeply unsettling and visceral exploration of motherhood and the sacrifices society demands. Using the deftly crafted lens of horror, Elaine Vilar Madruga explores patriarchal expectations and the enduring power of female rage to create a novel that will splice you in ways you didn’t think were possible' Ahana Virdi, author of SOUR FRUIT
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Elaine Vilar Madruga
- Narrator
- Eve Passeltiner
- Duration
- 11 hours
- Release Date
- 24 September 2026
- ISBN
- 9780008727178
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Genre
- Fiction: literary and general non-genre, Horror, ghost stories and supernatural fiction, Contemporary horror, ghost stories and supernatural fiction, Myths and Legends / Mythic fiction, Narrative theme: death, grief, loss, Narrative theme: social issues / social problems, Narrative theme: sense of place
Synopsis
'Shocking… violence, motherhood and death in the jungle' Mariana Enríquez, author of The Dangers of Smoking in Bed Benedicta has given birth, over and over. But she will never be a mother. Benedicta lives with her mother, her sister and her many children on a hacienda surrounded by dense rainforest. The jungle is a hungry god: it allows them to live safely away from a ruthless world of guerrillas and drug traffickers, but at a terrible price. Its voracity is never-ending, and those who live under its control must offer up their children in a sacrificial cycle powered by blood and madness. One day Romina, a pregnant sex worker from the nearest town, emerges from the rainforest. Will she be the one to break the cycle? Brutal, powerful and deeply unsettling, this Caribbean gothic fable about motherhood and the female body is a truly unique and unforgettable novel, from a writer at the peak of her powers.
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