The Doll Factory, the debut novel by Elizabeth Macneal, is an intoxicating story of art, obsession and possession.

‘A sharp, scary, gorgeously evocative tale of love, art and obsession’ – Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train

‘A stunningly confident first novel with a real sense of period and place … thoroughly engrossing.’ – Ian Rankin

London. 1850. The Great Exhibition is being erected in Hyde Park and among the crowd watching the spectacle two people meet. For Iris, an aspiring artist, it is the encounter of a moment – forgotten seconds later, but for Silas, a collector entranced by the strange and beautiful, that meeting marks a new beginning.

When Iris is asked to model for pre-Raphaelite artist Louis Frost, she agrees on the condition that he will also teach her to paint. Suddenly her world begins to expand, to become a place of art and love.

But Silas has only thought of one thing since their meeting, and his obsession is darkening …

About the author

Elizabeth Macneal was born in Scotland and now lives in East London, UK. She is a writer and potter and works from a small studio at the bottom of her garden. She read English Literature at Oxford University, before working in the City for several years. In 2017, she completed the Creative Writing MA at UEA where she was awarded the Malcolm Bradbury scholarship. The Doll Factory, Elizabeth’s debut novel, won the Caledonia Novel Award 2018.

Categories Fiction International

Tags Elizabeth Macneal New books New releases Pan Macmillan SA The Doll Factory