Rottenheart by Kat Dunn

Revenge me. For I am murdered . . .

Odette and Cecilia are young women, living between their grand homes in Hampstead and the imposing, ancient Herne House in Suffolk. Though Odette’s artist mother Lydia keeps a tight grasp on her, she and her beloved Cecilia are mostly left free to roam, to learn and to love.

But when Lydia inexplicably sickens and dies, a dark veil falls. As the funeral rites are performed, Odette’s aunt, the cold and implacable Claudine, increasingly takes charge of the household, while her father retreats to his study. Odette, lost in grief, disappears into the shadows.

But as Claudine is announced as Odette’s new stepmother, a sinister presence in the house makes itself known. To her horror, Odette realises that despite her death, Lydia never really left. And now she wants revenge . . .

Inspired by Hamlet, the ultimate revenge tragedy, Rottenheart is the stunning new sapphic gothic horror novel from Kat Dunn, the lauded author of Hungerstone and Bitterthorn. Set in the 1890s, this a story of love and grief, mothers and daughters, death and madness.

From the author of Hungerstone, an unmissable gothic, sapphic, gender-swapped reimagining of Hamlet

About the Author: Kat Dunn grew up in London and has lived in Japan, Australia and France. She has a BA in Japanese from SOAS and an MA in English from Warwick. She’s written about mental health for Mind and the Guardian and worked as a translator for Japanese television. Kat Dunn’s YA fiction has been published by Head of Zeus and Andersen Press, including Bitterthorn, which was shortlisted for the Nero Book Awards and the Polari Prize and nominated for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing. Hungerstone was her hugely acclaimed adult fiction debut. Follow Kat @KatAliceDunn

04 Jun 2026
 

Rottenheart: The unmissable new gothic horror novel from the author of Hungerstone by Kat Dunn ISBN 9781786583963