Hungerstone - by Kat Dunn (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The seductive reimagining of a Gothic classic--a repressed wife encounters a mysterious woman who awakens her desire in the "lesbian vampire novel we need." (Them)

WINNER OF THE LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD - NATIONAL BESTSELLER - NPR Best Book of the Year - Goodreads Choice Award Finalist - Book Riot Best Book of the Year

It's the height of the Industrial Revolution, and ten years into Lenore's marriage to steel magnate Henry, their relationship has soured. When Henry's ambitions take them from London to the remote British moorlands, a shocking carriage accident brings the mysterious Carmilla into their lives. Carmilla, who is weak and pale during the day but vibrant at night. Carmilla, who stirs something deep within Lenore.

Soon, girls from the local villages fall sick, consumed by a terrible hunger, and Lenore begins to unravel. Torn between regaining her husband's affection and the cravings Carmilla has awakened, Lenore must confront a darkness that will place her at risk.

This immersive reworking of Carmilla, the queer novella that inspired Dracula, delivers a richly atmospheric look at feminine rage and the desires that feed our hunger.

"I didn't like this, I LOVED it." --Taylor Jenkins Reid

Review Quotes

"Before the very gay Dracula was ever conceived, there was the much gayer Carmilla--a queer-coded novella of female desire and insatiable hunger. Kat Dunn has taken that original inspiration and made it much stranger (and hotter), as we follow the journey of an unhappy aristocratic wife slowly coming to embrace her unholy appetites, under the guidance of an extremely sexy vampire/chaos queen. *fans self*" --Molly Odintz, Lit Hub

"The lesbian vampire novel we need." --Them

"A rich and daring reimagining that brings the beating heart of Carmilla to life again. Hungerstone is a delicious tribute to the inherent horrors of womanhood and the desperate and exquisite vulgarity of desire. This is everything I dream of in a novel." --Ava Reid, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning and Lady Macbeth

"While sapphics everywhere thank Sheridan Le Fanu for his service, Kat Dunn's juicy Hungerstone expertly recasts Carmilla's story from a much-needed female perspective." --Elle

"This Carmilla reimagining intensifies the original's famously queer themes, transforming it into an undeniably sensual, bloody sapphic story about desire and autonomy... Dunn explicitly connects Lenore's newfound appetite to queer longing, reframing monstrosity as liberation, making this fresh take on the vampire classic every bit as chilling as it is cathartic."--Oprah Daily

"Kat Dunn's Hungerstone is an atmospheric, blood-drenched, feminist twist on classic vampire tropes, a sapphic delight and industrial horror story." --Shelf Awareness

"If you're as frustrated with the patriarchy as I am, then you need a real, honest 'good for her' read this Women's History Month to help you let out all of your rage. I can't think of anything more appropriate than a historical horror retelling of the classic vampire tale Carmilla. It's everything you love about the original, but, like, even queerer. Which we love. Put it on your TBR this month. You won't regret it." --Emily Martin, Book Riot

"Extraordinary.... A dark, sensuous, gothic story of female appetite, ravenous desire and insatiable rage. A blood-drenched, glittering, jewel of a novel." --Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne and Atalanta

"Gives Carmilla a bold, feminist retelling." --Town & Country

"[E]viscerating, pleasurable, and inviting; a masterclass of first person present." --Maya Gittelman, Reactor

"A moody and triumphant retelling of Carmilla . . . A meditation on womanhood, corporate greed, and queer desire . . . Revitalizes Le Fanu's classic tale without losing any of its appeal." --Publishers Weekly

"An intoxicating and vivid take on the gothic novel. Sensual and vicious, Lenore's devastating story of self-discovery, betrayal and power feels like one for the ages." --Hannah Kaner, author of Godkiller

"Exactly what we need to cure our collective Nosferatu hangover."--Scary Mommy

"Utterly captivating. A fabulous Gothic feast of a novel which is so gripping I genuinely struggled to put it down. This book has everything--a compulsive plot, fascinating characters, and a world so dark and atmospheric it makes the real one look drab. A book that will upend your expectations of the genre and leave you wanting more." --Elodie Harper, author of The Wolf Den

"This queer, feminist reimagining of Carmilla has all the makings of a great vampire story." --Amanda Mullen, ScreenRant

"A dream of a Gothic. Combines all the best of Carmilla and would make Edgar Allan Poe jealous. Reading Kat Dunn is like finding treasure." --Sarah Rees Brennan,  USA Today bestselling author of Long Live Evil

"A chilling, homoerotic tale of a young woman haunted and hunted by a female vampire." --Clementine Doyle, Women.com

"Kat Dunn repaints the classic story of Carmilla in the boldest, bloodiest colors. Hungerstone is decadent, brilliant, triumphant and I devoured it." --Sarah Underwood, author of Lies We Sing to the Sea

"As is the case with all good vampire stories, the push and pull between fear and desire . . . is palpable from its very first pages."--Polygon

"Hungerstone writhes 'like a box of live snakes, ' with the exquisite torment of need. A fever dream of female desire. Kat Dunn brings vital style and a dangerous pulse to queer gothic fiction in this infectious, utterly gorgeous tale of awakening." --Margot Douaihy, USA Today bestselling author of Scorched Grace and Blessed Water

"I'm tired of brooding men . . . give me lesbian vampires." --Joe Skelley, Professional Book Nerds Podcast

"A sumptuous delight, Hungerstone combines gothic thrills with a feminist exploration of what it means to become estranged from our desires, and what it might mean if we let ourselves be whole. I feasted on it." --Jessica Moor, author of The Keeper

"It wouldn't surprise me to see Hungerstone at the top of every 'best of' list come December. Dunn has done something truly magical here, and it's all but impossible not to completely devour this novel." --Samantha Puc, The Mary Sue

"Deliciously dark and atmospheric, Hungerstone throbs with the taste of the forbidden. This is a novel that asks what might happen when we reach for those places inside ourselves previously kept under lock and key. Dunn's Carmilla is as alive and alluring today as Le Fanu's was in 1872." --Emily Critchley, author of One Puzzling Afternoon

"Kat Dunn's Hungerstone is a Carmilla retelling--historical, feminist, and decidedly thirsty." --Christina Orlando, Reactor

About the Author

Kat Dunn is the Lambda Award-winning and nationally bestselling author of Hungerstone. She has a BA in Japanese from SOAS and an MA in English from Warwick, has written about mental health for Mind, and worked as a translator for Japanese television. Kat grew up in London and has lived in Japan, Australia, and France.