Lack

'Cecilia Knapp beautifully captures the experience of contemporary womanhood in this lyrical and insightful novel. A genuine triumph' ELIZA CLARK

'Poignant to the bone. Lack is both masterfully, poetically complex and beautifully easy to read' GEMMA CAIRNEY

In the quiet, lonely hours of the middle of the night, a woman scrolls social media on her phone. Babies are everywhere. All her friends seem to have one. Her sweet partner Dan is desperate to start a family. But she is full of doubt – how can she consider the enormity of new life when the world outside is burning?

Besides, there’s something wrong in her body. She can feel it. A pain. A constant dull ache she is too frightened to investigate.

And then there is something darker, pulsing beneath the surface, threatening to catch up with her. Hers is a life deeply affected by grief and chaos; the death of her mother, a sexual assault, and a drawn-out affair full of glamour, hedonism, obsession and control.

Is it possible to rebuild when all you feel is lack?

This stunning literary novel explores and confronts the immense pressure and uncertainty of contemporary, consumable womanhood.

Reviews

'Cecilia Knapp beautifully captures the experience of contemporary womanhood in this lyrical and insightful novel. A genuine triumph' ELIZA CLARK

Praise for Cecilia Knapp:

‘Cecilia Knapp is a great writer. I love her’ KAE TEMPEST

‘Cecilia Knapp is a rare, rare talent. The sort of writer you get excited to have found and then look forward to devouring more of their work.’ KERRY HUDSON

‘A spectacularly talented writer’ DAILY MAIL

About the author

Poet and novelist Cecilia Knapp was the Young People’s Poet Laureate for London in 2021 and shortlisted for the Forward Prize for best single poem in 2022. Her debut poetry collection PEACH PIG was published in 2022 (Corsair) and her debut novel LITTLE BOXES (Borough) was longlisted for the Authors Club First Novel Award in 2023. Her poems have appeared in Vogue, The Financial Times, Granta and The White Review. She curated the anthology Everything is Going to be alright: Poems for When you Really Need Them, published by Trapeze in 2021. Cecilia was resident poet at Great Ormond Street Hospital for two years and is lead tutor for the Roundhouse’s prestigious poetry collective. She teaches creative writing in a number of settings. She is an ambassador for the mental health charity CALM.