Every family has its secrets . . . 'a beautiful, bewitching, unsettling and unputdownable dream of a book . . . .i genuinely loved this, it will stay with me for a long time' lisa jewell 'a blistering thriller' new york times 'impossible to put down' chris whitaker ____________________________________________________________ seventeen-year-old lily has a loving, normal family. so why does it suddenly feel like secrets are stirring? like mama is about to crack? as a storm of memories builds over one stifling summer, lily must recast everything. what if her house isn't a home - but a prison? what if her mother isn't a protector - but a monster . . . bold, beautifully told, and bound to keep you turning this pages, this is an unforgettable story about a family gone bad . . . _________________________________________________________________ readers love getting a taste of bad fruit: 'best book i have read in a long long time. intelligently written, really well paced. i devoured this' reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'a powerful, hard-hitting and exquisitely written novel' clare mackintosh 'paring-knife sharp . . . mama is a terrifying, masterful creation' abigail dean 'i devoured this, was completely gripped. beautiful, astounding for a debut novel' reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'this is a cracker' harriet tyce 'disturbing, poignant and memorable all at once' observer 'a riveting novel exploring how family ties can both make us and break us' red 'beautifully captures your imagination from start to finish' reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'beautiful, disturbing, impossible to put down. bad fruit heralds a seriously impressive new talent in ella king' chris whitaker 'masterful in its evocation of the complexity of mother-daughter relationships . . . a writer to watch' harper's bazaar