These Mortal Bodies: a beautifully astmospheric and gripping dark academia novel about toxic female friendships and obssession

'It's Saltburn meets Mean Girls meets The Craft – prepare to be beguiled’ Emma van Straaten, author of Creep

She wasn't born into their world. But she'll do anything to belong.

Leaving behind her childhood in coastal Scotland, Ivy Graveson arrives at an all-girls college at a prestigious university and throws herself into the deep end of life on campus.

Though her fellow students all seem to come from money and to have known each other their whole lives, outsider Ivy is determined to belong. She embraces the world of secret societies, and as she discovers the legacy of her college, the parallels between its past and her present become striking. Because however hard she tries to ignore it, Ivy has always felt drawn to – and terrified of – the bodies of water that surround her.

In just one life-changing year in these hallowed halls, Ivy will have to decide how much sisterhood means to her and how far she’ll go to become the person she was destined to be.

A richly atmospheric campus novel with neurodivergent representation, perfect for fans of The Secret History and dark academia, These Mortal Bodies is an intoxicating story of obsession, infatuation and toxic friendship in the world of the elites, where rules are made to be broken.

'Utterly stunning. Wilson writes beautifully and with clarity, shining a torch on timeless issues' T. L. Huchu, author of The Library of the Dead

‘Builds tension and atmosphere with a quiet creepiness as it hurtles towards a shocking conclusion. It’s refreshing to have read about a protagonist with neurodivergence where it’s portrayed without cliché and with bold authenticity’ Chris Bridges, author of Sick to Death ‘A delicious coming of age story with a dark academia twist... Gripping and beautifully told, Elspeth Wilson has breathed life into her characters that will linger long after the final page’ Laura Elliott, author of Awakened

© 2025 Simon & Schuster Audio UK (Audiobook): 9781398535657

Release date

Audiobook: 17 July 2025