A haunting debut novel that unpicks the traditional views of marriage through the lens of body horror and charts the literal unraveling of a woman moving ever closer into its grasp. One of "The 13 Best Novels of 2026 That You Absolutely Need to Read." -- Marie Claire Bea, a promising young archaeologist, has just gotten engaged. It should be the most exciting time of her life, but she can't shake the feeling that something is wrong. She can't stop thinking about a more daring version of herself who always imagined breaking with convention--an elopement, a brightly colored dress, an open marriage. However, as plans for the big day solidify, Bea begins to see the appeal of a big white dress, a huge reception, and a life with just one man. But as she begins to sort through bridesmaid dresses and look at venues, she notices her skin is flaking and sagging, and her hair is beginning to fall out in clumps. Her engagement ring, an unusual family heirloom from her fiancé, is getting tighter and tighter. Something is crawling under her skin. Someone is watching her from the shadows . . . Ruthy Mason is a writer based in North London. After studying archaeology and anthropology at University College London, she completed a master's in creative writing at the University of Cambridge, and is now working towards her PhD at Anglia Ruskin University. She won the Michael Holroyd Prize for Re-creative Fiction and was shortlisted for the Mslexia Fiction Competition.
