The Furies - by Natalie Haynes (Paperback)

About the Book

In this psychological page-turner set at a "last-chance" school for teens, a teacher hides from her own terrible tragedy by teaching the Greek classics to her troubled students.

Book Synopsis

The Furies is a psychologically complex, dark and twisting novel about loss, obsession and the deep tragedies that can connect us to each other even as they blind us to our fate, from the bestselling author of A Thousand Ships

After losing her fiancé in a shocking tragedy, Alex Morris moves from London to Edinburgh to make a break with the past. Formerly an actress, Alex accepts a job teaching drama therapy at a school commonly referred to as "The Unit," a last-chance learning community for teens expelled from other schools in the city.

Her students have troubled pasts and difficult personalities, and Alex is an inexperienced teacher, terrified of what she's taken on and drowning in grief. Her most challenging class is an intimidating group of teenagers who have been given up on by everyone before her. But Alex soon discovers that discussing the Greek tragedies opens them up in unexpected ways, and she gradually develops a rapport with them.

But are these tales of cruel fate and bloody revenge teaching more than Alex ever intended? And who becomes responsible when these students take the tragedies to heart, and begin interweaving their darker lessons into real life with terrible and irrevocable fury?

Published in the UK under the title The Amber Fury.

"Steady pacing paired with well-timed foreshadowing and fully realized characters make this one compelling from the beginning. Fans of Donna Tartt's The Secret History (1992), Erin Kelly's The Poison Tree (2011), and Tana French's The Likeness (2008) will likely enjoy the new perspective Haynes' conversational style offers to similar material." --Booklist

Review Quotes

"A stirring psychological thriller." --People Magazine

"Cleverly plotted, cannily paced, and unafraid to pose questions that don't have easy answers, this accomplished psychological mystery demonstrates the way that sometimes it may take being lost in the darkness to enable us to glimpse the light." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"An addictive, dark and suspenseful--yet sensitive--debut about death, obsession and fate." --Bookpage

"A gripping first novel...impossible to put down." --Herman Koch, author of The Dinner

"A handsomely structured psychological mystery, and a moving exploration of grief." --Lionel Shriver

"...Not only a gripping, can't-stop-turning-pages thriller, but also a beautifully drawn portrait of grief and how we find our way back to life...perfectly capturing the fraught and funny rhythms of a challenging classroom. I love it." --Madeline Miller, author of Circe

"From the opening pages of the novel, the hook is in (we know a crime has been committed) and you can't wait to see where her psychological thriller is headed...The Furies feels essential and exciting at the same time." --The Times (UK)

"I stayed up all night to finish The Amber Fury. It's gripping and compelling, a real page-turner, written with humanity and warmth" --S. J. Watson, author of Before I Go to Sleep

About the Author

Natalie Haynes is a bestselling author, an award-winning comedian, a journalist, and a broadcaster. She has been a judge for both the Man Booker Prize and the Orange Prize. Natalie is a regular panelist on Radio 4's Saturday Review and the long-running arts show, Front Row. She is a guest columnist for The Independent and The Guardian. Her debut novel, The Furies was called " a gripping, can't-stop-turning-pages thriller" by Madeline Miller, bestselling author of Circe. Her other books include A Thousand Ships and The Children of Jocasta.