I Am Reading: Thirst by Darren Simpson
| Publisher: | Pushkin Children's Books |
|---|---|
| Publish date: | 11 September 2025 |
Thirst is a new direction for Darren Simpson, who has in the past written middlegrade books such as the wonderful Memory Thieves. Here, he's crafted a brutal and sinister YA folk horror tale, with a biting social message.
A village depends on its river for clean water, crops, power for the mill. The river Yeelde gives all of those things, but it demands a sacrifice each year – a sheep, or another animal. And sometimes more than that…
Thirst is a gripping tale. The main character, Gorse, discovers that the peaceful village he's lived in all his life is holding terrible secrets. People he loves seem willing to sacrifice the lives of others in return for their own comfort and safety. But the choice isn't easy. Simpson cleverly arranges the world so that doing the right thing will be very hard indeed, and then forces us to ask: what would we do?
With strong characters, a tight plot, shocking scenes and a horrible villain, Thirst is a really cracking book, and one I couldn't put down.
Thanks to Pushkin Children's Books for sending me a proof copy of this book.