Cannibals are having a moment. Or, perhaps, as symbols of death, destruction, gluttony and desire, they have long-held outsized attention relative to how very rare cannibalism really is. This horror is fertile ground for writers, and debut novelist Lucy Rose was not afraid to take it on in THE LAMB, a strange, gory and emotionally dense story of a mother and daughter with a taboo diet.

Margot is just about 11 years old and has lived all her life with her mother, Ruth, in a small, dilapidated and moldy house far from neighbors. The walls are damp, the corners are full of cobwebs, and the bathtub drain is clogged with human fingers and rot. Before it was only Mama and Margot, Papa was there, too. But for Margot, Papa is a very distant memory; all she knows is that he left. The near-isolated life that Margot and Ruth share is punctuated with the arrivals of strays and the school bus. And then a third arrival threatens their already fragile life in the woods.

"[T]he prose is really good, Margot is quite compelling, and overall this is a creepy and atmospheric read. THE LAMB heralds a promising new talent."

Margot attending the local school, driven back and forth by a concerned bus driver named Steve, makes little sense in Rose’s otherwise singular set, especially given Ruth’s extreme dysfunction and paranoia. Still, it does give Margot the chance to interact with others --- from Steve to a short-tempered teacher to a sweet friend named Abbie.

One of the many truths that complicate Margot’s life is that Abbie’s father is having an affair with Ruth. Somehow, Abbie’s father, who Margot refers to as the gamekeeper, is entranced by the filthy and carnal Ruth and often visits the dirty house in the woods. But he is not a stray. Strays are those who get lost in the woods close to the house or have car trouble on the nearest road. Strays are those who, unfortunately, accept Ruth’s offer of hospitality and never leave her house again. Strays are the meat that feed Ruth and Margot.

Eden shows up at the house one day, and Margot (as well as readers) never learn much about her. She seems to know about Ruth’s crimes and cannibalism right away, and immediately they begin a love affair. Eden is tender toward Margot but is mostly focused on Ruth and their shared cravings. As the days and weeks go by, Margot is all but forgotten as Ruth and Eden become increasingly intertwined. But when Eden’s attention eventually turns back to Margot, Margot realizes that any precarious safety she enjoyed is gone.

THE LAMB is a dark novel --- part twisted fairy tale, part postmodern horror. At its heart, and beyond all the gristle and blood, it’s about a young girl and her relationship with her irreparably and mysteriously damaged mother. Margot is both sheltered from the world and exposed to her mother’s gruesome acts. She loves her but also fears her. And over the course of the novel, she arrives at grim realizations concerning how her mother feels about her. Like girls in many coming-of-age stories, Margot is separating from her but still clinging to her.

There are inconsistencies in the book, and careful scrutiny reveals some flaws. Rose asks readers to make some mental leaps that are not always well supported in the storytelling. Still, the prose is really good, Margot is quite compelling, and overall this is a creepy and atmospheric read. THE LAMB heralds a promising new talent.