Why read The Vet's Daughter?

Book cover of The Vet's Daughter

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INTRODUCED BY JANE GARDAM

'A small Gothic masterpiece . . . I have read it many times, and with every re-read I marvel again at its many qualities' SARAH WATERS

'It projects its fantastic story with a tangible realness . . . A wonderful and original novel' ALAN HOLLINGHURST

'She…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Vet's Daughter as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Emily Midorikawa

Author

I’ve never read anything quite like The Vet’s Daughter. First published in 1959, this Gothic novel—set half a century before, in Edwardian London—has both period character and a decidedly modern feel.

Its heroine, Alice Rowlands, endures a bleak existence in the home of her diabolical veterinarian father, who fills their house with animals and treats his family with such vicious contempt that I was hoping the tables would turn on him from the very start of the book. And turn they do, in a very unexpected way that sends the story veering into fantastical territory.

I won’t say more…

From Emily's 3 favorite reads in 2023.