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The Ladie Upstairs: ‘A fever dream of a novel’ Lucy Rose, author of THE LAMB

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The Ladie Upstairs: ‘A fever dream of a novel’ Lucy Rose, author of THE LAMB by Jessie Elland

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By Jessie Elland

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‘A fever dream of a novel. Fuelled by sapphic femgore, it’s sick and sultry, and a deeply beguiling masterclass in the perverse; I couldn’t put it down!’ Lucy Rose, author of The Lamb

‘Devilishly addictive and delightfully gory from an exciting new voice in literary horror. Northanger Abbey meets Saltburn’ Christine Anne Foley, author of Bodies

Scullery drudge Ann longs to become a lady’s maid. Ann can’t quite remember how or when she arrived at the grand Ropner Hall, but she loathes spending her days toiling in the dank kitchen.

When a chance meeting with Ropner’s Lady Charlotte leads to the opportunity to become her personal maid, Ann is convinced she has finally escaped her own version of hell. But has she? As Ann’s new life above stairs takes a sinister twist, will it turn out that the terrors lurking up there are worse than the devils she knows below?

Jessie Elland’s deeply visceral debut is a dark and twisted tale of ambition and desire. Are you brave enough to enter Ropner Hall?

‘Disgustingly beautiful and sharp with shame. The Ladie Upstairs is an addictive, feverish and strangling read’ Charlotte Paradise, author of Overspill

‘Beautiful prose, unforgettable characters, and a strange, twisty, dreamlike plot’ Lauren Wilson, author of The Goldens

Reviews

05 May 2026

Annette

Well that was different! And more than a little grotesque. The writing is itself like a live creature: a disgusting, writhing, wriggling (and actually quite funny) entity in its own right. BUT: What the hell happened there?!?

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