No Friend to This House

Natalie Haynes author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Pan Macmillan

Publishing:18th Jun '26

£9.99

This title is due to be published on 18th June, and will be despatched as soon as possible.

This paperback is available in another edition too:

No Friend to This House cover

* A Marie Claire Best Book of 2026 *

Exiled daughter, abandoned wife, vengeful mother. But is that where the truth lies? This is the story of Medea as you’ve never heard it before.

Jason and his Argonauts set sail to find the Golden Fleece. The journey is filled with danger, and if Jason ever reaches the distant land he seeks, he faces almost certain death.

Medea – priestess, witch, and daughter of the brutal king who jealously guards the fleece – has the power to save Jason's life. Will she betray her family and her home?

Burning with desire for this stranger, as the gods intend, Medea chooses Jason over her kin. But their love is steeped in vengeance from the beginning, and no one – not even those closest to them – will be safe when their passion is spent . . .

Based on the classic tragedy by Euripides, this is Medea as you’ve never seen her before . . .

Praise for Natalie Haynes:

‘Witty, gripping, ruthless’ – Margaret Atwood on Stone Blind

‘Fiercely feminist . . . A many-layered delight’ – The Guardian on A Thousand Ships


‘Passionate and gripping’ – Madeline Miller, author of Circe on The Children of Jocasta

No Friend to This House is an extraordinary reimagining of the myth of Medea from Natalie Haynes, the Sunday Times bestselling author of Stone Blind.

It’s superb: sharp, funny, inventive, powerfully humane -- Katherine Rundell, bestselling author of Impossible Creatures
An illuminating and often thrilling work of feminist reclamation * The Guardian *
Natalie Haynes . . . offers an extraordinary feminist reimagining of the myth of Medea, cementing her place in a female pantheon of classical interpreters with Pat Barker, Madeline Miller and Margaret Atwood * The Oldie *
One of my all-time favourite writers -- Nikita Gill, bestselling author of Hekate
Haynes’ Medea is especially striking – both fearless witch and desperate lover – capturing all the facets and contradictions of the character in the ancient sources . . . Another masterpiece from Haynes -- Costanza Casati, author of Babylonia
[A] wry, witty and ruthless retelling of Euripides' play * Daily Mail *
Natalie Haynes is a once-in-a-generation storyteller, and No Friend to This House is her masterpiece. Haynes does not so much retell the myth of Medea as excavate it, layer by devastating layer, for truths both timeless and timely. This is a stunning novel that cuts to the bone -- Dr Amanda Foreman, author of Georgiana
An incredible feat of storytelling, bringing to life all the strands of the divine and huma which led to one of the most fascinating myths of all time - Medea -- Martha Kearney
A stunning, slowburning tale full of passion and vengeance * Woman & Home *
The myth of Medea captivatingly retold (complete with the most beautifully foil-tipped pages) will completely reset your commute * Stylist *
Witty, gripping, ruthless -- Margaret Atwood, bestselling author of The Testaments, on Stone Blind
If there is one thing Natalie Haynes knows how to do, it is reposition the classics. And her latest offering, No Friend to This House,raises the bar even more . . . In the world of Greek tragedy, Medea is often considered one of the most complex and divisive characters. But Haynes' No Friend to This House gives readers more to consider about her * Press Association *
An exceptionally powerful retelling of Medusa’s story, an emotional gut punch of a novel . . . It is a dazzling achievement -- Elodie Harper, bestselling author of the Wolf Den trilogy, on Stone Blind
Inventive and playful . . . [and] very funny -- The Times on Stone Blind
With her trademark passion, wit, and fierce feminism, Natalie Haynes gives much-needed voice to the silenced women of the Trojan War -- Madeline Miller, bestselling author of Circe, on A Thousand Ships
Absorbing and fiercely feminist . . . A many-layered delight -- The Guardian on A Thousand Ships
A sparkling narrative . . . A Thousand Ships blows the dust off the classics -- The Washington Post on A Thousand Ships
Haynes balances a fresh take on the material . . . giving new voice to the often-overlooked but fascinating Jocasta and Ismene -- Madeline Miller, bestselling author of Circe, on The Children of Jocasta
A wonderful and inventive take on an ancient tale -- The Times on The Children of Jocasta
Glorious, gripping and brutal . . . I loved it -- Victoria Derbyshire, journalist and broadcaster, on The Children of Jocasta

ISBN: 9781529061567

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

384 pages