The Hounding - by Xenobe Purvis (Hardcover)

About the Book

"The Crucible meets The Virgin Suicides in this ... debut about five sisters in a small village in 18th century England whose neighbors are convinced they're turning into dogs. Even before the rumors about the Mansfield girls begin, Little Nettlebed is a village steeped in the uncanny, from strange creatures that wash up on the riverbed to portentous ravens gathering on the roofs of people about to die. But when the villagers start to hear barking, and when one claims to see the Mansfield sisters transform before his very eyes, the allegations spark fascination and fear like nothing has before. The truth is that the inhabitants of Little Nettlebed have never much liked the Mansfield girls--a little odd, think some; a little high on themselves, perhaps--but they've always had plenty to say about them and, as the rotating perspectives of five of the villagers quickly make clear, now is no exception"--

Book Synopsis

A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice Pick - Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2025 by NPR, TIME, LitHub, Paste, and PopVerse - The Crucible meets The Virgin Suicides in this haunting debut about five sisters in a small village in eighteenth-century England whose neighbors are convinced they're turning into dogs.

ONE OF PEOPLE'S, APPLE BOOKS', AND AMAZON'S BEST BOOKS OF AUGUST 2025

"A wildly inventive riff on the Gothic form, with enough suspense and mounting dread to rival Shirley Jackson's 'The Lottery.'"
--The New York Times Book Review

Even before the rumors about the Mansfield girls begin, Little Nettlebed is a village steeped in the uncanny, from strange creatures that wash up on the riverbank to portentous ravens gathering on the roofs of people about to die. But when the villagers start to hear barking, and one claims to see the Mansfield sisters transform before his very eyes, the allegations spark fascination and fear like nothing has before.

The truth is that though the inhabitants of Little Nettlebed have never much liked the Mansfield girls--a little odd, think some; a little high on themselves, perhaps--they've always had plenty to say about them. As the rotating perspectives of five villagers quickly make clear, now is no exception. Even if local belief in witchcraft is waning, an aversion to difference is as widespread as ever, and these conflicting narratives all point to the same ultimate conclusion: Something isn't right in Little Nettlebed, and the sisters will be the ones to pay for it.

A richly atmospheric parable of the pleasures and perils of female defiance, The Hounding considers whether in any age it might be safer to be a dog than an unusual young girl.

Review Quotes

An Indie Next Pick
One of the Los Angeles Times Must-Read Books of Summer 2025
One of Harper's Bazaar's "Best Beach Reads to Keep You Occupied All Summer Long"

"Outstanding . . . Purvis is adept at conjuring a mounting sense of dread, and it is a pleasure to linger in her imagination."
--Joumana Khatib, The New York Times Book Review

"Tense and absorbing . . . [The Hounding] transcends its antecedents, evolving into something more ambiguous and unexpected."
--Marin Cogan, The Washington Post

"Purvis writes with a kind of lush violence that makes the sisters; experiences feel immediate and fresh . . . [The Hounding reveals] the old story is new in every fresh life that it touches, that understanding a trope is not the same as being protected from it, and that persecution feels like a startling new invention when it comes for you--whether you're a fish, a dog, or a girl."
--Talya Zax, The Atlantic

"What takes this novel past conceit to commentary lies in its exploration of interiority among all of the characters, not simply the suspected women, but those who observe, accuse and fear. When a community cannot explain misfortune, who suffers? Purvis makes a clever but careful case for combining the Gothic with the paranormal."
--Los Angeles Times

"[Purvis] is excellent at evoking the fear of the unknown and the lure of the mob."
--Sam Sacks, The Wall Street Journal

"A beguiling tale . . . The Hounding serves as an unsettling reminder of who is made to pay when 'all sorts of ordinary things' go wrong."
--Chloe Hadavas, Foreign Policy

"An exciting debut with great atmospheric detail, a very visual style, and a story that puts a modern twist on female hysteria."
--Melanie Fleishman, Buyer at the Center for Fiction Bookstore

"Just as with the white-hot internet theories of today, some people are more resistant than others to fantasies. A taut, tense tale, impeccably told."
--Financial Times

"This is an extraordinary debut, clever, strange and beautifully written."
--The Times (London)

"The Hounding is a vivid exploration of the darkness of human nature and the danger women face every day."
--Apple Books

"Eerie . . . If you're looking for a novel that addresses the unfairness of being a girl and how being a wild animal is almost preferable . . . this is the book for you."
--The Minnesota Star Tribune

"A wonderfully unsettling gothic debut that lingers like a half-remembered bad dream--perfect for fans of historical fiction with a sharp, feminist edge."
--Shari Stauch, The Summerville Journal Scene

"A master class in paranoia and strategic ambiguity. Like Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," it shows that the horrors lurking beneath small-town life are timelessly unsettling. Purvis' suspenseful and sure-footed debut breathes vivid life into its arresting concept."
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"A memorable and eerie read . . . Purvis' depiction of the bleak village ravaged by drought is unsettling and creates an uncertainty sure to envelope readers' thoughts throughout the entirety of this curiously written and hauntingly engrossing story."
--Kristen Shaw, Booklist

"You had me at 'The Crucible meets The Virgin Suicides.' Add, perhaps, 'meets Nightbitch, ' considering the main complaint that the residents of Little Nettlebed have about the Mansfield sisters is that they are maybe, probably, definitely turning into dogs. I'm game."
--LitHub

"In short chapters that burst open, five villagers share their perspectives on the gossip around the Mansfield girls, creating a kaleidoscope of viewpoints and beliefs. The prose is vibrant, and each chapter leaves you with questions about what came before and what will come next."
--Freya Sachs, BookPage

"Eerie [and] atmospheric."
--"All the Books," Book Riot

"With hints of superstition akin to Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" and the puritanical overtones of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Purvis's The Hounding taps into universal themes of fear, violence, lust, and also empathy."
--Shelf Awareness

"The Hounding is a debut novel bound to be a cult classic. It's a tale set centuries ago that throbs with a bloody, living heart. It's a jewel dug from the depths of Xenobe Purvis's imagination. It's exquisite."
--Julia Phillips, author of Bear

"Five unusual sisters set a village on edge in this haunting tale of a bewitching madness set in 1700 England. Are the girls a true danger to their neighbors? Will rumor alone put them on the path to destruction? This chilling story can be read as a parable of female empowerment or as a tale of feverish bedevilment overtaking an entire town. Xenobe Purvis has written a book so masterful, you will not be able to look away."
--Laurie Lico Albanese, author of Hester

"The Hounding is a lush and atmospheric warning of the dangers of individuality for girls indifferent to the gaze of others. Every word in this spare, sharp novel cuts and implicates the small-minded townsfolk who chase rumors like wild dogs chase prey. A virtuosic debut from a brilliantly keen mind and eye. Certainly, Xenobe Purvis shares a bloodline with Shirley Jackson."
--Diane Cook, author of The New Wilderness

"A gorgeous, lush landscape of a book--and a haunting tale of the strangeness of girlhood. Our view of the Mansfield sisters flickers like sunlight through trees, always partially obscured, always brilliant. This novel is tender, witty, and terrifying, and I loved it."
--Clare Beams, author of The Garden

About the Author

Xenobe Purvis was born in Tokyo in 1990. She studied English Literature at the University of Oxford, has an MA in creative writing from Royal Holloway, and was part of the London Library's Emerging Writers Programme. She is a writer and literary researcher, with essays published in the Times Literary Supplement, the London Magazine, and elsewhere.