Myrrh - by Polly Hall

Book Synopsis

A woman searching for her birth-parents unlocks the secrets of her horrific past, as she tries to stop the goblin within in this kaleidoscopic dark psychological horror about identity and belonging, with a dread-inducing climax you will never forget. Perfect for fans of Eric LaRocca and Catriona Ward.

Myrrh has a goblin inside her, a voice in her head that tells her all the things she's done wrong, that berates her and drags her down. Desperately searching for her birth-parents across dilapidated seaside towns in the South coast of England, she finds herself silenced and cut off at every step.

Cayenne is trapped in a loveless marriage, the distance between her and her husband growing further and further each day. Longing for a child, she has visions promising her a baby.

As Myrrh's frustrations grow, the goblin in her grows louder and louder, threatening to tear apart the few relationships she holds dear and destroy everything around her. When Cayenne finds her husband growing closer to his daughter - Cayenne's stepdaughter - and pushing her further out of his life, she makes a decision that sends her into a terrible spiral.

The stories of these women will unlock a past filled with dark secrets and strange connections, all leading to an unforgettable, horrific climax.

Review Quotes

"Clever, insightful, and insidiously vicious, Polly Hall's Myrrh is a terrifying and profoundly visceral exploration of social appearances, identity, and family. One of the most remarkable novels I've read in quite some time."--Eric LaRocca, author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke

"For every woman with a goblin inside her. This dark, lonely, yearning, twisty book is not for the faint of heart, and boy did I love it." CJ Leede, Bram Stoker nominated author of Maeve Fly

"Myrrh swirls with sharp prose and personality. A dynamite stick of a book, pregnant with pathos and nitroglycerin."--Hailey Piper, Bram Stoker finalist, and author of A Light Most Hateful

"Nothing can quite prepare you for the gift that is Myrrh, which mischievously reads like an unhinged Rumplestiltskin, a Daphne du Maurier suckerpunch, a Catriona Ward whirlpool of vertiginous proportions. Remember the name Polly Hall. Her novel breathes life in the gathering gloom."--Clay McLeod Chapman, author of What Kind of Mother and Ghost Eaters

"Myrrh is an extraordinary puzzle-box of a book which interweaves the lives of women to create an intricate web of identity. Polly Hall makes her fairy-tale allusions feel startlingly modern in this world of blood, lost girls, and psychological horror." Ally Wilkes, author of Where the Dead Wait

"Themes of motherhood, identity and obsession swirl throughout this atmospheric, fantasy-tinged literary thriller. [...] [I]t's a well-observed and empathetic look at two women in states of psychological distress." - SFX

"[A[ dizzying specimen of hallucinogenic literary horror." - Set The Tape

"A festering account of the horrors women hold within their wombs, and the ones their daughters inherit." -Lindy Ryan, author of Bless Your Heart and Cold Snap

"Layered, luminous and profound."--Alison Littlewood, author of The Other Lives of Miss Emily White

"Hall spins a slow and unnerving work of psychological horror around three women who stake their identities on their families... Immobilized by doubt and self-delusion, they yearn for intimacy from their partners and validation from their families--even as they gradually descend deeper into madness. Patient readers will be rewarded."--Publishers Weekly

"It masterfully conveyed the many roles of women, the isolation of being adopted, and how secrets can be twisted. It's thought-provocation tackles self-identity, the meaning of family, social appearances, marriage and pregnancy. The lush descriptions are beautiful and literary. "- The Horror Tree

PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR

Hall's writing is lush, filled with startling conclusions about the nature of art and love and death. . . [A] shudder-inducing debut. - The New York Times

The menace increases slowly but relentlessly, permeating every corner, and the twists, plentiful but also well earned, pile up, resolving in a near-perfect horror ending . . . [A] lyrical debut, told with the confidence of a veteran. - Booklist, Starred Review

Creepy and sensual . . . the tension between Scarlett and Henry is riveting . . . making The Taxidermist's Lover a luxurious, macabre romance. - Foreword Reviews

As strange as it is disturbing . . . It's [Scarlett's] highly personal confessional tone, exposed internal conflicts, grotesque dreams, and desires that draw the reader in. - Kirkus Reviews

Rich, decadent prose . . . allusions to The Bride of Frankenstein nicely ground the ending in the gothic tradition. - Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Her debut, The Taxidermist's Lover, received reviews from The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Foreword Reviews and was a Booklist Starred Review. It was a Gold Medal Winner in the Independent Publishers Book Awards, Bram Stoker Awards Finalist for Superior Achievement In A First Novel, and nominated for the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Awards. She tweets @pollyhallwriter