Heather Parry, acclaimed for the unsettling brilliance of “Orpheus Builds a Girl,“ has just released her highly anticipated novel, “Carrion Crow.” This work promises to immerse readers in a meticulously crafted world of suppressed secrets and intense emotional exploration, further refining Parry’s distinctive fusion of gothic unease and profound insight.
Imagine a Chelsea townhouse, where Marguerite Périgord is imprisoned in the attic by her own mother, Cécile. Cécile, obsessed with maintaining a pristine facade of respectability, fears Marguerite’s impending engagement will shatter their carefully constructed world. As Marguerite’s isolation intensifies, her focus turns inward, becoming a visceral exploration of her own body. The air crackles with tension, revealing the hidden lives and dangerous secrets both women guard—secrets that threaten to unravel everything.
“Carrion Crow” is a masterclass in psychological tension, delving into the suffocating bonds of familial confinement, the labyrinthine complexities of identity, and the unsettling power dynamics of the mother-daughter relationship. Comparisons to Ottessa Moshfegh and Leonora Carrington aren’t mere flattery; they speak to Parry’s ability to craft a truly haunting, visceral, and deeply poignant experience.
To mark the release of Carrion Crow, we sat down with Parry to explore the dark origins of her story. In our interview, she delves into the unsettling truths that inspired her writing: the complex realities of motherhood, the often fraught dynamics between mothers and daughters, and the subversive power of female sexuality. Parry also shares her fascination with technology—something she consciously avoids in her fiction, despite her preference for stories that transcend the present. She reflects on her deep connection to gothic influences, revealing how they shape her distinctive narrative style, and offers a glimpse of her upcoming project.
