In Bloom: The Virgin Suicides meets The Girls - the gripping debut novel
Formats & Editions
An Observer Best Debut Novelist 2026
'Atmospheric and gripping ... propulsive and intimate'
Observer
'An electric portrait of teenage friendship and fandom, bubbling with rage and yearning . . . empathetic, addictive and feverish as a Nirvana gig'
Guardian
'Part Virgin Suicides, part Veronica Mars'
Louise Hegarty, author of Fair Play
In the town of St Vincent, everyone knows everyone else's business. So when Lily Lucid accuses the beloved high school music teacher Mr P of sexual assault, rumours swirl and lines are drawn. On one side: Lily's former friends - the fiercely loyal girls who immediately set out to prove their teacher's innocence. On the other: all the adults who have already written them off as a lost cause.
The girls will stop at nothing to hold onto their dream of escaping their small, run-down town, their desperate mothers and absent fathers - and Lily's accusation threatens it all.
But how far out of control can they spin before there's no turning back?
'Effervescently paced and outrageously funny . . . jaw-dropping'
Luke Kennard, author of Black Bag
'I loved this book . . . raw, grungy and frenetic'
Alice Slater, author of Let the Bad Times Roll
'I was totally absorbed . . . amazing and unlike anything else'
Saraid de Silva, author of Amma
Praise for In Bloom
-
What a novel! In Bloom is effervescently paced and outrageously funny, but as deep as the hope and angst that drives its protagonists. A perfectly detailed encapsulation of an era we've collectively not quite gotten over. It's also a jaw-dropping exercise in perspective with one of the most brilliantly conceived denouements I've encountered.
Find a book you'll love, get our newsletter
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
© Hachette Aotearoa | New Zealand, All Rights Reserved · Site by Chook