Hunger and Thirst

Publisher: Penguin Books, Limited
Publish date: 7 May 2026
Pages: 320
Language: English

Subjects: Fiction, Literary, Psychological, Women, Friendship

FROM THE COSTA AWARD-WINNING, WOMEN'S PRIZE-SHORTLISTED AUTHOR OF UNSETTLED GROUND

'An absolute masterpiece. Utterly absorbing, genuinely unsettling' JENNIE GODFREY, author of The List of Suspicious Things

'Atmospheric, psychologically vivid, and unputdownable' ALICE WINN, author of In Memoriam


1987: After a childhood trauma and years in and out of the care system, sixteen-year-old Ursula finds herself with a new job in the postroom of a local art school, a bed in a halfway house, and--delightfully-- some new friends, including wild-child, Sue. When Ursula is invited to join a squat at The Underwood, a mysterious house whose owners met a terrible end, she can't resist the promise of a readymade, hodgepodge family.

But as Sue's behaviour and demands become more extreme, Ursula who has always been hungry--for food--and more importantly for love, acceptance and belonging, carries out her friend's terrible dare. It's a decision that will haunt her for decades.

Thirty-six years later, Ursula is a renowned, reclusive sculptor living under a pseudonym in London when her identity is exposed by true-crime documentary-maker who is digging into an unsolved disappearance. But it is not only the filmmaker who has discovered Ursula's whereabouts, and as her past catches up with her present, Ursula must work out whether the monsters are within her or without.

From critically acclaimed and award-winning author, Claire Fuller, Hunger and Thirst is a compelling and chilling tale of loneliness and female friendship, of the dangerous line between wanting and needing, and of how far a person will go to truly belong.

'Unremittingly unsettling, propulsive and tense. Fuller excels at depicting outsiders, and writes with such precision and economy. Truly terrifying' Sarah Vaughan

'Addictive, disturbing and suspenseful. It reminded me of Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine at her most vivid. Ursula is a rare creation' Amanda Craig