There's a name for what he is. He prefers not to use it…
Stutley Tillinghast lives a solitary life, ostensibly as the minister of a remote rural parish in Rhode Island. For many decades now, what little human contact he allows himself has been brief, frenzied and bloody, and always ends in a shallow grave in his cellar.You and I would have a name for what he is, but he prefers not to use it – he has needs, and when they become unbearable, he fulfils them.
Then the girl arrives – 19 years old, she has travelled from the UK to find him. She seems to have his surname, and her resemblance to him is uncanny. She is sick – very sick – and Tillinghast recognises her symptoms all too well. Which means he also knows what she needs…
Darkly compelling and irresistibly readable, TILLINGHAST marks the arrival of a major new literary talent.
Genre: Horror
Praise for this book
"Wonderfully mysterious and gorgeously written, Tillinghast offers a boldly original take on what it means to be a monster. While the subject matter is inherently dark, Cavanagh's reflections on connection, love, and found family shine through with an unexpected warmth." - Monika Kim
"A somber hymn of loneliness, of ancient wounds still tender, raw, and healing, of an insatiable, eternal yearning. Tillinghast is a soft chant in the dark - a tone poem etched in blood, agony, and utter cruelty. Lyrical and devastating, this remarkably heartfelt debut filled me with the same intense emotion I felt when I first watched Park Chan-wook's Thirst or read Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite for the very first time." - Eric LaRocca
"Moody and expertly rendered, Tillinghast is a lyrical and oddly moving nightmare. A vampire (don't say that word) novel like no other. I was enthralled and have become an eager fan of Clare Cavenagh." - Paul Tremblay
"Deliciously unsettling. Clare Cavenagh weaves a gothic magic through the pages, evoking Shirley Jackson-esque horror. Tillinghast examines the fine line between what is human and what is not and elicits a dread that leaves you unable to look away. A book that will stay with you long after you've finished turning the pages." - Ahana Virdi
"Out of the clay that is the vampire genre, Clare Cavenagh has crafted a wonderful, unexpected figure. I was immediately drawn to Tillinghast, neither innocent nor guilty (as it should be). In this novel, salvation and damnation are wrapped together in a beautiful, melancholic murder ballad." - Marina Yuszczuk
"A somber hymn of loneliness, of ancient wounds still tender, raw, and healing, of an insatiable, eternal yearning. Tillinghast is a soft chant in the dark - a tone poem etched in blood, agony, and utter cruelty. Lyrical and devastating, this remarkably heartfelt debut filled me with the same intense emotion I felt when I first watched Park Chan-wook's Thirst or read Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite for the very first time." - Eric LaRocca
"Moody and expertly rendered, Tillinghast is a lyrical and oddly moving nightmare. A vampire (don't say that word) novel like no other. I was enthralled and have become an eager fan of Clare Cavenagh." - Paul Tremblay
"Deliciously unsettling. Clare Cavenagh weaves a gothic magic through the pages, evoking Shirley Jackson-esque horror. Tillinghast examines the fine line between what is human and what is not and elicits a dread that leaves you unable to look away. A book that will stay with you long after you've finished turning the pages." - Ahana Virdi
"Out of the clay that is the vampire genre, Clare Cavenagh has crafted a wonderful, unexpected figure. I was immediately drawn to Tillinghast, neither innocent nor guilty (as it should be). In this novel, salvation and damnation are wrapped together in a beautiful, melancholic murder ballad." - Marina Yuszczuk
Visitors also looked at these books
Used availability for Clare Cavenagh's Tillinghast