Femme Feral

An Observer Best Debut Novelist of 2026

'Beneath the cathartic comedy are striking ideas... both entertaining and provocative.' The Observer

'A darkly entertaining feminist satire... this has bite.' Publishers Weekly

'Savage, witty, gory, heartfelt, utterly relatable rage fantasy and a helluva good time. Miranda July meets Stephen King' Sunday Times bestseller Lauren Beukes

'Bitingly funny, sharply observed, simmering with justified rage and buried wildness - a cathartic, necessary read.' Catriona Silvey

'Witty, thrilling, and oh so righteously FERAL. Sam Beckbessinger's command of voice and character is superb. Make a to-do list and be sure to put this book at the top of it.' Nat Cassidy

'A dark comedy of epic proportions and sly symbolism' CrimeReads, Best Psychological Thrillers

Like most women, 46-year old hyper-competent tech CEO Ellie's already juggling too much. She's got a promotion coming up and it's an inconvenient time to be beset by mid-life symptoms: coarse hair in new places, hot flushes, insomnia, losing time, finding bloodstains on all her clothing, howling at the moon.

Her doctor diagnoses perimenopause. But it's another 28-day cycle that's taking hold. One involving fur, and teeth, and a not insignificant amount of rage.

Suddenly the troubles in her life – hot flushes, thankless family, spiralling to-do list, oblivious husband, the w*nker promoted above her at work – seem almost… bite-size.

Outrageous, witty and wonderfully feral, in her adult debut Sam Beckbessinger explores female ferocity in modern urban (mid)life with a literary howl that will leave you transformed.