Pet: A Novel by Catherine Chidgey (8/8/23)

A suspenseful new psychological thriller from the Women’s Prize for Fiction longlisted and Dublin Literary Award shortlisted author of Remote Sympathy, Catherine Chidgey.

Like every other girl in her class, twelve-year-old Justine is drawn to her glamorous, charismatic new teacher and longs to be her pet. However, when a thief begins to target the school, Justine’s sense that something isn’t quite right grows ever stronger. With each twist of the plot, this gripping story of deception and the corrosive power of guilt takes a yet darker turn. Justine must decide where her loyalties lie.

Set in New Zealand in the 1980s and probing themes of racism, misogyny and the oppressive reaches of Catholicism, Pet will take a rightful place next to other classic portraits of childhood betrayal and psychological suspense: Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures, Peter Weir’s Picnic at Hanging Rock, and Marilynne Robinson’s Housekeeping among them.

“Refreshing, compelling and surprising.”—Ann Morgan, author of Beside Myself and Reading the World

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About the Author

Catherine Chidgey is an award-winning and bestselling New Zealand novelist and short-story writer. Her first novel, In a Fishbone Church, won the Betty Trask Award. Golden Deeds was Time Out's book of the year, a Best Book in the LA Times Book Review and a Notable Book in the New York Times Book Review. Her most recent novel, Remote Sympathy, was shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award and longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction.

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Praise for PET

“A lingering, haunting book...a landmark in the small but potent canon of contemporary novels about unusual girls reckoning with themselves and the world around them.”—Ruth Franklin, The New York Times

★ “This dark novel probes the power of deception, betrayal, religion, and childhood in every twist of its mesmerizing plot. Lovers of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Donna Tartt's The Secret History will want to read this compelling novel by an award-winning New Zealand author.”—Booklist (starred)

“Chidgey satisfies and horrifies in equal measure.”—Publishers Weekly

“As satisfying a narrative as Pet is, lingering uncertainty is the source of its real power, enabling it to maintain its hold over the imagination long after the final page has been turned.”—Hephzibah Anderson, The Observer

“An excellent meditation on the fallibility of memory, the haunting of the past, and the depth with which childhood impresses upon adulthood. Pet is an accomplished, hugely engaging novel with an impressive ability to compel the reader forward with elegance, verve and style.”—Helen Cullen, The Irish Times

“With precision and economy, Chidgey captures the cruelty of pubescents, as well as the casual racism and misogyny of the time….an absorbing page-turner.”—Stephanie Cross, Daily Mail

“Outside of New Zealand, Chidgey is not as well known as she should be. One hopes that this chilling tale of childhood vulnerability and violence might change that.”—Lucy Scholes, Financial Times

“Damn this book is good. Pet is at once a brilliant coming-of-age thriller and a sharp dissection of racism and misogyny in 1980s [New Zealand].”—Molly Odintz, CrimeReads, “The Most Anticipated Crime Fiction of Summer 2023”

“Chidgey’s grasp of the slipperiness and self-delusion of memory...is faultless.”—Catherine Taylor, The Guardian

Publisher: Europa Editions