Four Terrible Parents
An addictive story of love, jealousy and the curse of trying to have it all | 'Brilliant' Kim Gordon
Format:Hardback
Publisher:John Murray Press
Publishing:30th Jul '26
£20.00
This title is due to be published on 30th July, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
'Witty, incisive and beautifully plotted . . . a vivid, breathless tale of art, love, family and murder' Paula Hawkins, bestselling author of, The Blue Hour
'Incredibly charming, fun and relentlessly whipsmart . . . Brilliant' Kim Gordon, singer of Sonic Youth and author of, Girl in a Band
'Calla Henkel is unparalleled . . . Sheer perfection' Katy Hays, bestselling author of, The Cloisters
They thought with four parents, nothing could go wrong.
Once famous, indie-sleaze rock stars Valentine and Raul are now in their forties and their priorities are shifting. Valentine wants a family with her on-and-off partner Linh. Raul wants to marry his boyfriend Banner. They both know it's time to get out of Berlin, but Valentine, who wants it all - doesn't want to let their band go.
When Valentine's father dies, she inherits a Southern gothic hotel and it feels like fate. Val convinces Raul, Banner and Linh, to move to South Carolina to renovate the crumbling and possibly haunted hotel. There they will build an alternative family and raise a child together. With four parents, no one would have to compromise their entire identity. They could all still be artists. All able to live fully.
But as the four of them navigate their new home and welcome their daughter, August, into the world, their relationships start to tilt. On the night of the hotel's grand opening, what's meant to be an evening of celebration turns into a nightmare as August goes missing.
Soon the parents turn on each other. And then the world turns on them.
Four Terrible Parents is a story of love, jealousy and the curse of trying to have it all.
Witty, incisive and beautifully plotted, Four Terrible Parents is a vivid, breathless tale of art, love, family and murder. Perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn and Torrey Peters -- Paula Hawkins, bestselling author of * The Blue Hour *
Incredibly charming, fun and relentlessly whipsmart . . . Brilliant -- Kim Gordon, singer of Sonic Youth and author of * Girl in a Band *
Calla Henkel is unparalleled-her plots intricately built, her characters wholly original, and her skill at balancing chaos and narrative drive is without peer. Four Terrible Parents is all of those things but it's also brimming with unexpected warmth and bursting with Henkel's trademark sly wit. A story of a disappearance, it's also a hectic manual of self-discovery, and like all things Henkel: it does both with verve and joy. Sheer perfection. -- Katy Hays, bestselling author of * The Cloisters *
Darkly funny and brilliantly biting, this book punches right to the heart. Calla Henkel just gets better and better every time -- Tobi Coventry, author of * He's the Devil *
Four Terrible Parents is what they call a page-turner, full of fascinating characters who feel familiar yet mysterious, tight psychological nuance, gleeful suspense and the sharpest writing. I could not stop reading this book -- Michelle Tea, author of * Valencia *
Praise for Calla Henkel
Blackly humorous and enjoyably twisted -- Paula Hawkins, author of THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN
A sparkling debut . . . a very good plot-driven thriller dressed in a glittery jumpsuit * Guardian *
Brutal, glamorous and genuinely unpredictable, it will blow your mind until the very last page * Stylist *
Hugely entertaining * New York Times *
Other People's Clothes is a gritty take on toxic female friendships . . . Expect a slow burn that's deliciously dark * Time Magazine *
Thrilling * Cosmopolitan (UK) *
Calla Henkel's Other People's Clothes is darkly funny, psychologically rich and utterly addictive. I couldn't stop turning the pages as this witty, harrowing tale of twisty female friendships, slippery identity and furtive secrets unfolded. This is a debut you won't want to miss -- Megan Abbott, author of THE TURNOUT
A knotted mystery too intriguing to leave unpicked -- Alice Slater, author of DEATH OF A BOOKSELLER
Binge-worthy . . . a brilliantly immersive and almost cinematic experience -- Jenny Mustard, author of OKAY DAYS
ISBN: 9781399829595
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
352 pages