In Phoebe Stuckes’ electrifying debut novel, the unnamed narrator wakes up after a house party covered in bruises. Not wanting to provoke the man responsible, she leaves his house and tries to move on, but an unspeakable rage follows her at every turn. At a party, she bonds with the man’s ex-girlfriend, Helene, over their mutual mistreatment by him. But the narrator learns that their budding relationship is a means to a more sinister end: revenge. Dead Animals is a novel with a lot to say – about violence and its aftermath and the insecurity of renting and the gig economy – and it says it all in beautifully emotive prose. At only 150 pages, there’s little room for twists and turns, and the plot ends up exactly where you would expect it to. But on the way, it captures the feeling of being young, messed up, and broke in London to a tee. MG

Published by Sceptre