28/07/2026
Sarah says: A beautiful, uncompromising and compelling story. It would have been a worthy winner of the Women’s Prize in my opinion. Set in Belfast it follows the aftermath of a s*xual assault at a party. Most of the voices we hear from are the women involved, Misty, the teenager assaulted and Frankie, Miriam and Bronagh, the mothers of the boys involved. It couldn’t resonate more with the current news cycle and hits nerves both as a parent and as a child navigating the modern world.
Class, money, power and s*xual politics are all interrogated. A brilliant character study, subtly layered, skilfully constructed and unafraid to explore the grey areas of morality.
Buy it from us at link in bio.
This is Erskine’s first novel, one that I picked up eagerly as her earlier books were short story collections, not my favourite genre but clearly one that has honed her skills. Her writing is forensic and intelligent, and this critique of our society blistering whilst remaining empathetic to the individuals involved. Whilst the reader is solidly on Misty’s side, Erskine manages to elicit some sympathy for the boys involved and their parents.
I found the examination of s*x, and its commodification, and how women navigate it differently fascinating: brittle Frankie who has used her looks to her advantage, Misty who is trying a modern method of empowerment on the eponymous Benefactors (or ‘Bennyz’), an Only-Fans-style website, and Misty’s absent mother Leigh.
The main narrative is interspersed with vignettes from other local characters, a style that reminded me of Jon McGregor, and i found it added to the depth of the book as well as zooming out and giving context to the main story.
