SHORTLISTED FOR THE AUREALIS AWARD FOR BEST HORROR NOVEL 2025

'An electrifying and well-crafted Gothic thriller' THE AUSTRALIAN

From a startling new Australian talent, The Farm ripples with the Gothic undertones of Rebecca and enthrals from the very first page.

The radio sputters out and the cows disappear... It is suddenly deeply quiet, with the bird calls and crunch of rolling tyres the only sounds. I twist slowly to look out the back window; the gate can no longer be seen.

When 37-year-old Leila suffers a health tragedy, she doesn't recover as quickly as she expected. Her partner, James, suggests a year away from the city - they'll stay on his family farm, where the wide, open spaces and clean country air will help her come to terms with her grief.

But the property is remote and the house oppressive. Leila is disturbed by strange noises, fleeting visions and intrusive dreams. James worries that her medication is causing hallucinations.

As Leila's isolation grows amid the haunted landscape, so does her suspicion that she isn't the first woman James has relocated to the farm. Is what she's experiencing real? Or is it all in her head?

Compulsive and claustrophobic, The Farm is a psychological thriller ripe for book club discussion. It asks confronting questions about women's bodies, what is expected of them, and who is really in control. And in Jessica Mansour-Nahra, Australia has a stunning new talent.

'Immersive, urgent, hair-raising... A towering achievement, it demands to be read in one sitting' COURIER-MAIL

'If you've read anything in the Gothic tradition - particularly Jane Eyre and Rebecca - you'll be coming into this book forewarned... Compelling' THE GUARDIAN

'Deeply chilling - made all the more unsettling by its vivid, visual writing' GOOD READING MAGAZINE

'The kind of slow-building, hair-raising saga that makes you want to flick back to the start and scour the pages for any clues you might have missed... Keeps readers guessing right until its thrilling end' ARTSHUB

'The setting is so deliciously vivid, the characters nuanced and complex, and the storyline nothing short of bone-chilling' ALI LOWE

'Captivating... Fertile in its domestic horrors and the hidden traumas of motherhood' SIANG LU

'A masterclass in creating narrative tension' TESS WOODS

'Gripping and enthralling... I devoured this story in just one day' KELLY RIMMER

'A compelling read that will appeal to fans of slow-burn suspense and character-driven contemporary fictio

Cat's Recommendations

The Farm

The Hill in the Dark Grove

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