Everything Is Poison - by Joy McCullough (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

This historical novel in prose and verse tells the story of a deadly secret hiding in plain sight and of the women who risk everything to provide care for those with nowhere else to turn, perfect for fans of Blood Water Paint and The Lost Apothecary.

Early Seventeenth-Century Rome
For as long as she can remember, Carmela Tofana has desperately wanted one thing: to be allowed behind the counter of her mother's apothecary in Campo Marzio, Rome. When she turns sixteen, she's finally allowed into the inner sanctum: the workroom where her mother, Giulia Tofana, and two assistants craft renowned remedies for their customers. But for every sweet-smelling flower extract in the workroom, there's another potion requiring darker ingredients. And then there's Aqua Tofana, the apothecary's remedy of last resort for husbands who are just as deadly as any disease. In all Carmela's years of wishing to follow in her mother's footsteps, she never realized one tiny vial could be the death of them all.

One the Chicago Public Library's Best Books of the Year

Review Quotes

A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection

★ "Bracing.... Enrapturing.... This eloquent, rapid-fire novel is rich in cadence and history."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "McCullough skillfully reveals the origins of the apothecary shop and the women who work there, imbuing her historical novel with a moving sense of its characters' individual but intersecting backstories.... Riveting and affecting."--Shelf Awareness, starred review

★ "Acclaimed author and playwright McCullough exquisitely reimagines her play La Tofana's Poison Emporium into a historical teen novel that smoothly mixes in Italian history. Fans of McCullough's Blood Water Paint (2018) will be enthralled to delve into another story that includes interspersed verse on the subject of 'giving women a choice over what happens to their bodies.' A must-read for those who embrace the #MeToo movement."--Booklist, starred review

★ "This is an unforgettable novel of courage, chemistry, and female solidarity in a casually violent, misogynistic world--in short, in many ways, a topical story. McCullough enfolds a catalog of women's hardships and mutual support warmly and dramatically into the immersive tale of Carmela's growth from dependency and childhood grievances to confident generosity, skill, and compassion."--The Horn Book, starred review

★ "McCullough has again found a real historical figure to breathe to life. An ­important and necessary ­purchase for all collections."--SLJ, starred review

"We can always count on Joy McCullough's powerful and unflinching work to guide us through the past and shape our understanding of our place in the present."--Courtney Summers, New York Times bestselling author of Sadie and I'm the Girl

"The prose narrative of this compelling novel that draws loosely on historical figures is interspersed with free-verse poems that underscore how often women face abuse, both from those they know and strangers on the street; how their options may be limited by economics; and their limited power in many situations regardless of economic status. The story also offers balm--and healing--in the age-old practice of women helping women."--Cooperative Children's Book Center

"Everything Is Poison's mixture of tenderness, brutality, loneliness, resignation, and joy makes for an intimate reading experience. Free-verse poems between prose chapters elevate the story and highlight the universal elements. An emotionally stirring celebration of women finding community."--Kirkus Reviews

A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year
A SLJ Best Book of the Year
A Horn Book Best Book of the Year

About the Author

Joy McCullough is a playwright and the New York Times bestselling author of many books for children and young adults, including Blood Water Paint, which was longlisted for the National Book Award and was a finalist for the William C. Morris Award. She studied theater at Northwestern University, fell in love with her husband atop a Guatemalan volcano, and writes books and plays from her home in the Seattle area.