Hunger and Thirst by Claire Fuller - ISBN: 9780241757390
Paperback
Past horrors haunt a sculptor’s isolated life, demanding survival.
Pre-Order

Hunger and Thirst

$29.75

  • Paperback

    320 pages

  • Release Date

    11 August 2026

Check Delivery Options

Summary

1987 - After a childhood trauma and years in and out of the care system, sixteen-year-old Ursula finds herself with a new job in the postroom of a local art school, a bed in a halfway house, and-delightfully- some new friends, including wild-child, Sue.

When Ursula is invited to join a squat at The Underwood, a mysterious house whose owners met a terrible end, she can’t resist the promise of a readymade, hodgepodge family. But as Sue’s behaviour and demands become more extreme, Ursula…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9780241757390
ISBN-10:0241757398
Author:Claire Fuller
Publisher:Penguin Books Ltd
Imprint:Fig Tree
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:320
Release Date:11 August 2026
Weight:382g
Dimensions:234mm x 155mm x 25mm
What They're Saying

Critics Review

‘An absolute masterpiece. Utterly absorbing, genuinely unsettling … like all the most terrifying horror films of the 70’s and 80’s and all the most scary ghost stories’ * Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious Things *
Atmospheric, psychologically vivid, and unputdownable … it frightened and enthralled me * Alice Winn, author of In Memoriam *
A lurid, big-boned, messy, often brilliant book, full of the intense feeling and intimate portrayal of the inner life that characterises Fuller’s work * Guardian *
Psychologically gripping, disquieting, and breathlessly suspenseful …. brilliant and truly terrifying * Kirkus Reviews *
Unremittingly unsettling, propulsive and tense. Fuller excels at depicting outsiders, and writes with such precision and economy. Truly terrifying * Sarah Vaughan, author of Little Disasters *
Addictive, disturbing and suspenseful. It reminded me of Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine at her most vivid. Ursula is a rare creation * Amanda Craig *
A truly chilling story … I was entirely captured in this novel’s haunting spell * Essie Fox, author of The Fascination *
Love story, psychological thriller, highly literary horror - Claire Fuller pulls off all three with this brilliant novel that is familiar and frightening in equal measure. Most of all, it’s GREAT FUN. I absolutely loved it * Kathleen MacMahon, author of Nothing but Blue Sky *
Such a propulsive book - but at the same time, such a deep examination of art and violence and the slipperiness at the heart of both memory and friendship. I was absolutely gripped by it * Jenn Ashworth, author of Ghosted *
Gothic, disturbing, and mesmerisingly well-written, Hunger & Thirst is like nothing I’ve read before. Claire Fuller’s ability to generate suspense, revulsion, and disquiet within a nuanced and intelligent world is second to none. * Lucy Atkins, author of Magpie Lane *

About The Author

Claire Fuller

Claire Fuller was born in Oxfordshire, England, in 1967. She gained a degree in sculpture from Winchester School of Art, but went on to have a long career in marketing and didn’t start writing until she was forty. She has written five previous novels including:

  • Unsettled Ground, which in 2021 won the Costa Novel Award and was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction.
  • Our Endless Numbered Days, which won the Desmond Elliott Prize.
  • Swimming Lessons, which was shortlisted for the RSL Encore Award.

She has an MA in Creative and Critical Writing from the University of Winchester and lives in Hampshire with her husband.

Returns

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.