Polly Crosby

Enter a darkly dystopian world full of eerie folklore, in which illness and difference have been prohibited. But from deep beneath the earth, a rebellion is rising... Perfect for fans of Never Let Me Go and The Luminaries. Ora has always been fascinated by chilling fairy stories of the Vulpine – the mythical, fox-like monsters who live below ground, emerging at night to snatch 'imperfect' babies and children. Because Ora knows that disability and illness have no place in her world. To succeed is to be genetically ‘perfect’, just like her best friend Casta and his family. Then, one day, Casta’s baby sister disappears. And Ora’s mother reveals a long-buried secret: Ora herself has a genetic illness that affects her lungs... And she's about to be found out. Desperate for answers and sanctuary, Ora decides to do the unthinkable and seek out the fabled Vulpine. And below the earth, she discovers a hidden world that turns everything she has been taught upside-down... A unique and powerful story about stepping into your power and creating a better world, with a brilliant cast of disabled heroes, from an author whose own experiences of chronic illness inform Ora's. A chilling dystopian world filled with eerie science fiction and a sweet, slow-burn romance. Perfect for fans of Never Let Me Go, A Handmaid's Tale, The Hunger Games and The Luminaries.

A picture paints a thousand lies...'Evocative and enchanting - a future classic' Veronica Henry, bestselling author'An extraordinary debut... beautiful, dark, haunting' Edward Carey'A bewitching read' Woman & HomeNOW AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER!Romilly lives in a ramshackle house with her eccentric artist father and her cat, Monty. She knows little about her past - but she knows that she is loved.When her father finds fame with a series of children's books starring her as the main character, everything changes: exotic foods appear on the table, her father appears on TV, and strangers appear at their door, convinced the books contain a treasure hunt leading to a glittering prize.But as time passes, Romilly's father becomes increasingly suspicious of everything around him, until, before her eyes, he begins to disappear altogether.In her increasingly isolated world, Romilly turns to the secrets her father has hidden in his illustrated books, realising that there is something far darker and more devastating locked within the pages...The truth.The Illustrated Child is the unforgettable, beguiling debut from Polly Crosby.Praise for The Illustrated Child:'Evocative and enchanting - a future classic and a star in the making' Veronica Henry, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Beach Hut'An extraordinary debut... beautiful, dark, haunting and unforgettable. I loved it' Edward Carey, author of Little'A bewitching read' Woman & Home'Written in fine, delicate prose, this treasure of a debut takes up the palette of emotions and paints with all the colours. Beautiful' Nydia Hetherington, author of A Girl Made of Air'A beautifully written tale that evokes dreams and imagination' Daily Record'Exquisitely written, stunning, totally unique. Everyone needs to read this' Jessica Ryn, author of The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside'A magical tale, beautifully written, evocative and mysterious, and stitched through with a dark thread that I wasn't expecting. What a wonderful book' Anita Frank, author of The Lost Ones'Weaves a magical spell in which dark-edged fantasy collides with everyday life' Publishers Weekly