THE MOST ANTICIPATED HISTORICAL DEBUT OF 2025...
"Genuinely unputdownable... a feat of storytelling"
- The Bookseller
Coming to the UK, US, Spain, Greece, Serbia, Russia and Hungary.
Are some patterns destined to be repeated?
Paris, 1789. The Oberst Factory, which crafts exquisite wallpaper for the most fashionable French homes, is a place shrouded in mystery. Most enigmatic is the woman pictured in each of its prints, rumoured to be the late Mrs Oberst, who died in peculiar circumstances.
When sisters Lara and Sofi arrive there for work, they quickly form a friendship with Josef Oberst, the motherless heir to the factory. Whilst Sofi's political fervour intensifies, Lara is disturbed by the uncanny way her life appears mirrored in the wallpaper. Meanwhile Hortense, Josef's spoilt aristocratic wife, is similarly unnerved by the scenes that line the walls of her new home.
With the mobs growing ever more violent, is she in danger of meeting the same untimely end as the last Mrs Oberst? As revolution blazes across France, the lives of Sofi, Lara and Hortense are set to collide in unimaginable and irrevocable ways. Can they change what lies ahead, or are some patterns destined to be repeated?
PRAISE FOR THE WOMAN IN THE WALLPAPER
"Spellbinding and decadent, this is an utterly original novel with taut evocative prose and a plot of stunning and intricate complexity... an astounding debut ."
Susan Stokes-Chapman (ST No.1 bestselling author of Pandora)
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"Spell-binding, chilling and utterly mesmerising. A twisty portrayal of sisterly devotion and a moving exploration of generational trauma set during the turmoil of the French Revolution, this stunning debut is not to be missed!"
Jessica Bull (author of Miss Austen Investigates)
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"The Woman in the Wallpaper is that rare delight: a work of historical fiction that makes you consider anew the past you thought you understood, and see it through fresh eyes. An immersive tale that will keep you guessing until the end."
Laura Shepperson (author of The Heroines)
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"Exquisite writing and a riveting plot. As beautifully crafted, and mysterious, as the wallpaper that seems to mirror the characters' lives. A truly brilliant book."
Anna Mazzola (ST bestselling author of The Clockwork Girl)
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“Beautifully written, gripping and intriguing, Lora Jones’s debut is extraordinary. Her storytelling is exquisite, her characters as intricately drawn as the images on the detailed wallpaper patterns that appear throughout the book. The Woman in the Wallpaper is sweeping and yet intimate, powerful and passionate and yet subtle and unnerving. Full of atmosphere and intensity, it’s a glorious read and I loved it!"
Liz Hyder (author of The Gifts)
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"An enthralling story, deftly plotted, with a mystery that winds ever more tightly around the characters, as relentless as the advancing French Revolution with all its hopes and terrors."
Hester Musson (ST bestselling author of The Beholders)
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"A dark mystery set against the backdrop of revolutionary France. An exquisite page-turner that will keep you up at night."
Dr Lindsey Fitzharris (ST and NYT bestselling author of The Facemaker)
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"Witty, moving and nail-biting in equal measure, this is a perfectly crafted novel."
Carmella Lowkis (author of Spitting Gold)
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"A real page turner and a truly immersive read. Lora has created such complex and nuanced characters, and evokes the world of revolutionary France and the struggles women endured with such detail, I felt I’d been on a real emotional journey with them. It’s also beautifully written and has a heart-stopping plot."
Theresa Howes (author of The Secrets We Keep)
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"Skilfully written, we are gifted a platter of intriguing, unpredictable characters and an expertly-plotted narrative that delights and amuses despite the darkly unsettling mystery that urges the story on at a pace."
Joanne Burn (author of The Hemlock Cure)
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"A brilliant debut: vivid, passionate and beautifully woven, which completely transports us back to 18th century France."
Harriet Constable (author of The Instrumentalist)
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"An epic, elaborate plot told with exquisite, captivating detail. Political intrigue and personal mysteries unfold through the eyes of three riveting female characters searching for some kind of freedom even as they are held in traps beyond their making. An astonishingly accomplished debut."
Cari Thomas (author of Shadowstitch)
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"Set during the French Revolution, this sweeping historical debut is a gripping and beautifully woven tale of intrigue and darkness that is hard to put down."
Rebecca Netley (author of The Whistling)
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"Lora Jones is a remarkable new talent in the world of historical fiction. An utterly spellbinding novel."
Essie Fox (author of The Fascination)
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"A beautifully crafted novel filled with the kind of exquisite historical details that make a story sing. Perfection."
Polly Crosby (author of Vita and the Birds)
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"Sumptuous, mysterious and so beautifully textured — a story of three women in Revolutionary France that you can completely sink into. Each scene is crafted with the same care as the wallpaper vignettes — so nuanced and gorgeously painted. What a debut!"
Alex Hay (author of The Housekeepers)
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"Perfectly plotted and beautifully drawn, The Woman in the Wallpaper is a triumph of a debut."
Elle Machray (author or Remember Remember)
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"The Woman in the Wallpaper combines all the tension of a story set during the French Revolution with all the intrigue of a twisty gothic mystery, in what makes for a compelling and atmospheric debut."
Katie Lumsden (author of The Secrets of Hartwood Hall)
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"A gorgeous, haunting story of how love, ideals, and art can become twisted but also how they can survive."
Sarah L. Brooks (author of The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands)
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"A sublime, decadent, delicious, gothic, and elegant debut... Multifaceted characters, a plot that is so well crafted it will keep you both hooked and guessing, all while enrapturing you with its use of observation, language and narrative. THE debut of 2025."
Dan, Waterstones bookseller
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"This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. Top read this year. And a must read for anyone in 2025. Eloquent prose and vivid descriptions create an immersive atmosphere, drawing readers into a world where the lines between reality and illusion blur. The complex characters and intricate plot twists make for a gripping read. A stunning novel, from start to end."
James, Waterstones bookseller
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"A perfect balance of horror, building to terrifying heights before a shift in perspective brings it back down - before the next dive into fear. This mix of supernatural amidst the very tangible dangers of the French Revolution make for a true page-turner. Heartbreaking and brilliant... I will be recommending it to everyone!"
Catherine, bookseller at Blackwell's, Manchester