Victorian Psycho
A Novel
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3.7 • 71 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
SOON TO BE A FEATURE FILM STARRING MAIKA MONROE, THOMASIN MCKENZIE AND JASON ISSACS
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR by The New Yorker, TIME, Bookpage, and the Chicago Public Library: "[A] savage thriller... Victorian Psycho offers a wickedly subversive look at a woman on the verge of a murderous rampage." (Shannon Carlin, Time)
• Most Anticipated Books of 2025: Vulture, Oprah Daily, Polygon, Reader's Digest, Lit Hub, Men's Health, CrimeReads, The Stacks, LibraryReads, Paste: "This book will be the bloody belle of the 2025 literary ball." (Oprah Daily)
• Best Books of the Month: Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, TIME, Goodreads, Gizmodo, Book Riot, The A.V. Club, Apple Books, Amazon
• The American Booksellers Association's #1 Indie Next Great Read! (Feb 2025)
• A Matty Maggiacomo Book Club Selection
“Simmering with rage, propulsive and laugh out loud funny, Victorian Psycho speaks profoundly of horror both within and without us.” —Catriona Ward
From the acclaimed author of Mrs. March comes the riveting tale of a bloodthirsty governess who learns the true meaning of vengeance.
Virginia Feito’s Mrs. March was hailed as “a brilliant debut . . . [by] a writer who keeps pace with the grandees she invokes” (Sarah Ditum, Guardian)—from Daphne Du Maurier and Shirley Jackson to Patricia Highsmith. Now, Feito returns with her “silver-polish sentences and her eerie psychological acumen” (Constance Grady, Vox) to unleash an entirely new antihero on us all.
Grim Wolds, England: Winifred Notty arrives at Ensor House prepared to play the perfect governess—she’ll dutifully tutor her charges, Drusilla and Andrew, tell them bedtime stories, and only joke about eating children. But long, listless days spent within the estate’s dreary confines come with an intimate knowledge of the perversions and pathetic preoccupations of the Pounds family—Mr. Pounds can’t keep his eyes off Winifred’s chest, and Mrs. Pounds takes a sickly pleasure in punishing Winifred for her husband’s wandering gaze. Compounded with her disdain for the entitled Pounds children, Winifred finds herself struggling at every turn to stifle the violent compulsions of her past. French tutoring and needlework are one way to pass the time, as is admiring the ugly portraits in the gallery . . . and creeping across the moonlit lawns. . . .
Patience. Winifred must have patience, for Christmas is coming, and she has very special gifts planned for the dear souls of Ensor House. Brimming with sardonic wit and culminating in a shocking conclusion, Victorian Psycho plunges readers into the chilling mind of an iconic new literary psychopath.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
The Brontës meet Bret Easton Ellis in this darkly comic gothic horror by Virginia Feito (whose psychological thriller debut, Mrs. March, we loved). Newly hired—and thoroughly psychopathic—governess Winifred Notty gradually introduces chaos into the English country estate of the unhappily married Mr. and Mrs. Pounds and their sulky, spoiled children. Strange conversations, small acts of vandalism, and growing sexual tension create an escalating conflict that explodes into shocking violence over the Christmas holidays. Enter into Winifred’s twisted world as she slowly reveals her bloody history and the desperate purpose that led her to the Pounds estate. You will definitely be amused by the scattering of black-and-white, vintage-styled illustrations (don’t worry, nothing gory) that accompany the charmingly grotesque narrative. We know all about English household dramas contrasting the upper-class mannered tension above with the seething, suppressed emotion of the servants’ hall below. But nothing could prepare us for just how deliciously and creepily violent that contrast can be when there’s a murderer in the household.
Customer Reviews
Dark and brilliant
I just finished this book and had to sit with it. What in the world did I just read? And why couldn’t I stop?
This book is addictive, well-written, and an absolutely devious, glorious mess—in the best way possible. Two children receive a new governess, and little do they know the secrets and perversions she holds. The story is unsettling, hypnotic, and utterly unputdownable.
I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything. The author is brilliant, and I can’t wait to crawl into her mind with another one of her books. If you pick this one up, I highly recommend reading it with someone—you’re going to need to talk about it. It’s a lot to process and will spur some interesting discussions.
wow…and then wow!
gruesome and exquisitely written, what a shocking amazing sad study of psychopathy
Amazing
She’s definitely a psycho. The most fun I’ve had reading a book in quite some time.