Thirsty Animals: The most gripping and unforgettable novel of 2023

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WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE WATER RUNS OUT

THE WORLD IS RUNNING OUT OF WATER.

With supply in the Scottish cities drying up, Aida is forced back home to live with her mum at their rural farm. For now, they are safe with just enough to get by.

Yet at the border, tensions are close to breaking point as more and more southerners chase the delusion that Scotland is an eternal spring - while fewer and fewer are allowed through. The service station where Aida works grows emptier with every day. Then, when suspicious strangers arrive at the farm asking for help, Aida and her family face a terrible decision. How much water can they afford to share

AND THEN THE TAPS ARE TURNED OFF.

Now they must survive long enough for the rain to come.

Completely compelling, devastating and thought-provoking, Thirsty Animals takes us on a captivating journey of survival and self-discovery.

'Original, timely, terrifying. Thirsty Animals takes a brutal yet deeply heartfelt look at survival, and kindness, and just how difficult it can be for the two to coexist at the extremes' CHRIS WHITAKER

'Thirsty Animals is a hard-hitting speculative thriller, equal parts terrifying and compassionate. Beautifully written, vivid and unflinching, it confirms Atalla as a real talent' DOUG JOHNSTONE

'Rachelle Atalla's second novel has shown her once again to be a master of slow-burning tension and unease . . . The pace of the story builds to an unputdownable conclusion, and the characters will stay with the reader for a long time' CAILEAN STEED

Reviews

Thirsty Animals is a hard-hitting speculative thriller, equal parts terrifying and compassionate. Beautifully written, vivid and unflinching, it confirms Atalla as a real talent * Doug Johnstone *
Original, timely, terrifying. Thirsty Animals takes a brutal yet deeply heartfelt look at survival, and kindness, and just how difficult it can be for the two to coexist at the extremes * Chris Whitaker *
Rachelle Atalla's second novel has shown her once again to be a master of slow-burning tension and unease. Thirsty Animals is terrifyingly believable, and functions both as a warning against overconsumption and division, while also providing a hopeful message about the redemptive possibilities of community. The pace of the story builds to an unputdownable conclusion, and the characters will stay with the reader for a long time * Cailean Steed *
this is one seriously brilliant and thought-provoking read * Heat *
This brilliant, profoundly unsettling second novel will secure Atalla's place as an extraordinary writer, and a poet of controlled bleakness * Daily Mail *
Atalla knows how to ramp up tension expertly, and Thirsty Animals comes to a dramatic, unexpected but satisfying conclusion * Big Issue *
Compelling, unsettling and emotive, this is an exciting story of survival and self-discovery * Candis *
A disturbing and compelling book * SFX *
A prophetic book, offering the reader both a deeply unsettling glimpse into our possible future and a comforting reminder of how resilient humans can be. I was utterly captivated by the story, especially Atalla's characters who are richly drawn and incredibly relatable. Atalla has an uncanny knack of both revealing the best and the worst of humanity. She's quickly establishing herself as a writer for these unsettling times * Jan Carson *
Thirsty Animals is one of those perfect reads. Compulsive and profound in equal measure, it is both page-turning thriller and philosophical disquisition on what it means to be human rolled into one. A dystopian triumph that confirms Atalla as a major talent, this chilling and believable second novel is horrifyingly brilliant in the best possible way * Mary Paulson-Ellis *

Author Bio

Rachelle Atalla is a Scottish-Egyptian novelist, short story writer and screenwriter based in Glasgow. Her short stories have been published widely in literary anthologies and she is the recipient of a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award. Her first short film screenplay Trifle was commissioned by the Scottish Film & Talent Network and she is developing her first feature length screenplay with BBC Film. The Pharmacist was her first novel and shortlisted for the Scottish Fiction Book of the Year; Thirsty Animals is her second.