The Writing Retreat: A New York Times bestseller
-
- $13.99
Publisher Description
'A five-star read that’s intelligent, accomplished and exciting. I dare you to put it down.' Janice Hallett, author of The Appeal
The dark, atmospheric, feminist offspring of Squid Game, The Hunting Party and Misery
A book deal to die for.
Five attendees are selected for a month-long writing retreat at the remote estate of Roza Vallo, the controversial high priestess of feminist horror. Alex, a struggling writer, is thrilled.
Upon arrival, they discover they must complete an entire novel from scratch, and the best one will receive a seven-figure publishing deal. Alex’s long-extinguished dream now seems within reach.
But then the women begin to die.
Trapped, terrified yet still desperately writing, it is clear there is more than a publishing deal at stake at Blackbriar Estate. Alex must confront her own demons – and finish her novel – to save herself.
This unhinged, propulsive, claustrophobic closed-door thriller will pull you in and spit you out…
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Aspiring novelist Alex—the narrator of Bartz's audacious psychological thriller debut—idolizes button-pushing feminist horror writer Roza Vallo, so she's elated when Roza selects her to attend an exclusive, all-female writing retreat at Blackbriar, Roza's remote Adirondacks estate. Upon arriving, Alex and the other four invitees learn they must each conceive of and complete an entirely new book in the next 28 days. Roza will eject anyone who doesn't make their daily word count, but her editor will publish the best finished manuscript and pay its author a $1 million advance. With Roza's encouragement, Alex begins a fictionalized account of the bizarre, unsolved deaths of Blackbriar's builder and his occultist wife. The story flows as though channeled, but when unsettling events start happening and one of the participants disappears during a blizzard, Alex wonders if perhaps she should focus less on potential fame and more on survival. Boldly drawn characters complement Bartz's gleefully twisted plot. Excerpts from Alex's work-in-progress pepper her increasingly paranoid narration, underscoring her shifting mindset. Sara Gran fans, take note.