“Fresh and compelling, this claustrophobic debut will suck you in and never spit you back out.” — Eliza Clark, author of Boy Parts
“An eerie take on the all-consuming nature of romantic relationships.” — Evening Standard
“Kylie Whitehead has created a rich and full character who enables an exploration of identity and anxiety, femininity and queerness, selfhood and romantic relationships – all under the guise of a nightmare come true.” — The Arts Desk
“Uncomfortable psychological accuracy, dark humour and out and out horror” — Jenn Ashworth, author of Ghosted
“A consuming exploration of the madness of love and its distortions of the lover and the loved. A literary debut that has so much to say.” — Adam Nevill, author of Apartment 16 and The Ritual
“Uncomfortable and unnerving – the best kind of blackest comedy” — Aliya Whiteley, author of Greensmith
“Full of existential dread and sardonic humour, I enjoyed it immensely.” — Sharlene Teo, author of Ponti
“This quiet novel has a wonderfully dark and savage little heart. Not only did it move me, its horror still lingers. A fantastic debut.” — Matt Wesolowski, author of Six Stories
Allison has been with Owen since university. She’s given up on writing her novel and is working a dull office job at the local council – now it feels like the only interesting thing about her is that she’s Owen’s girlfriend. But he’s slipping away from her, and Allison has no idea who she’ll be without him.
Panicking, she absorbs him…
Soon Allison begins taking on Owen’s best qualities, becoming the person she always thought she should be. But is Owen all she needs to complete herself? Will Allison ever be a whole person?
Absorbed is the original and timely debut novel from Kylie Whitehead; a darkly comic story of female insecurity, body horror and modern relationships.
Kylie Whitehead is originally from rural Mid Wales and currently lives in London. She works in marketing with technology startups.
Absorbed is her first novel. You can follow Kylie on Twitter here.