A bold debut novel reminiscent of Emma Cline's The Girls; a story of love, lust and the spaces in between, from a prizewinning, 'captivating' (New York Times) new voice in fiction.
It is 1950, and nine-year-old Willa 's mother has remarried. Stepbrothers Patrick and Kenneth arrive at her family 's British Columbia summer home from California, signalling the end of Willa 's sheltered yet fragile childhood. Willa 's older sister Joan pairs off with Kenneth, while Willa, ever the observer, watches Patrick with interest and follows him to the beach. He lures her into a dilapidated rowboat, and as it sinks and the ocean seeps in, she is stung by a jellyfish. Instead of helping Willa, Patrick delights in her pain, forging the pattern of their relationship into adulthood.
Over the years, Willa 's mother disengages from her family, turning to alcohol and flirtations with a younger man. And when Joan marries Kenneth, she falls into the same pattern of boredom and despair. All the while, Willa is drawn further into Patrick 's sadistic games. Though they see each other only a handful of times, each of their encounters is increasingly charged with sexuality and desire. When Willa finally realizes the danger of her relationship with Patrick, she desperately tries to reverse their games, with devastating results.
Daring, singular, and provocative, Demi Gods explores the dualities within ourselves, both the sublime and the sordid, and the male gaze rising to it, but also subverting it. Sensitive, playful, and entirely original, Eliza Robertson is one of the most exciting new voices in contemporary literature.
