Victorian Psycho (a Novel)

By (author) Feito, Virginia
Description:
“Simmering with rage, propulsive and laugh out loud funny” (Catriona Ward), Victorian Psycho hacked its way into the hearts of readers and critics alike. In this gruesome tale, Winifred Notty arrives at Ensor House prepared to play the perfect governess. 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, and Winifred struggles to stifle the violent compulsions of her past. Blissfully, Christmas is coming, and she has very special gifts planned for these dear, ugly souls… One of the most horrifyingly beloved novels of the year, Victorian Psycho “lives up to its literary namesakes, delivering unrelenting gore and shock” (Jac Jemc, New York Times Book Review) and affirming Virginia Feito as a master of the darkest craft.
Review quote:
"[Victorian Psycho] lives up to its literary namesakes, delivering unrelenting gore and shock in the vein of those earlier novels by Bret Easton Ellis and Robert Bloch.... Feito’s 2021 debut novel, Mrs. March, revealed her skill for eking out dread and terror from the mundane life of a woman past her prime.... What’s consistent between the books is Feito’s macabre sense of humor. [Feito] has moved on from the pitiably self-conscious Mrs. March to the defiant, hallucinatory confidence of Winifred Notty: both deliciously unlikable in their own ways, both a pleasure to root for in their misguided travails."
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"Vandalism and lechery are among the milder affronts that occur on Winifred’s watch, and her narration, though sombre, sparkles."
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"Winifred might be the smartest, wittiest and most brutal psychopath to grace the pages of a comedy of manners that turns into a horror show — all in an age rife with repression."
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"This book will be the bloody belle of the 2025 literary ball; preorder now!"
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"A deliciously devious new book."
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"Virginia Feito distills all the 19th century horror tropes you can remember into one witty and addictive mad-governess tale."
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"A considerable wave of hype has grown around Victorian Psycho.... Happily, there’s good reason to keep talking about [it], well beyond a movie deal. Sleek, deadly and paced like a runaway train, Feito’s novel is an absolutely delectable mashup of horror sensibilities, and one of 2025’s must-read genre releases.... Fittingly, Winifred’s voice is the star of this particular show. Feito draws on her novel’s namesake, Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho, when it comes to portraying Winifred’s inner turmoil, and blends that with the polished Victorian intricacy of writers like Henry James and Charles Dickens.... At just 200 pages, Victorian Psycho is lean, lithe and clear in its purpose and its violent delights. It’s a book you can easily finish in a single sitting, yet Feito’s prose is so dense with meaning and subtlety that you may just pick it right back up again. The novel whistles along at a breakneck pace but also immerses you deeply in everything, from the tapestries adorning the house’s walls to the joys of Victorian mummy unwrappings. You won’t want to leave Winnifred’s dark world.... Perfect for fans of CJ Leede’s Maeve Fly and Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw alike, Victorian Psycho is one of those books you won’t just read. You’ll get lost in it, and you’ll be delighted by what you find in its sardonic embrace."
Review quote:
"A murderous woman dropped into a gothic novel is a recipe for delightfully disturbing and grimly comedic bloodshed . . . Fans of gothic literature who don’t mind gruesome deaths will savor watching Winifred go beyond simply eating the rich in this seemingly by-the-book gothic story that subverts some of the genre’s conventions."
Rev