The Ophelia Girls

Jane Healey studied English Literature at Warwick University. She was shortlisted for the Bristol Short Story Prize 2013, the Costa Short Story Award 2014, the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2016 and the Penguin Random House WriteNow mentoring programme in 2017. The Ophelia Girls is her second novel. Her first, The Animals at Lockwood Manor, was published in 2020. She lives in Edinburgh.

An intoxicating novel about art, illicit desire, and the perils and power of being a young woman -- perfect for fans of &i>My Dark Vanessa&/i>, &i>The Virgin Suicides&/i> and &i>The Doll Factory&/i>

Deliciously atmospheric and brilliantly constructed, The Ophelia Girls tugs at the reader from the very first page until its satisfying finish. Engrossing and rich in imagery, Jane Healey writes the way dreams feel. I loved it.” —Elissa R. Sloan, author of The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes     “Set over the course of two stifling British summers, The Ophelia Girls is a dreamy exploration of the interior life of teenage girls and the tangled relationship between mothers and daughters.  In her hypnotic prose Jane Healey captures the slipperiness of the adolescence experience, the thirst young women have for independence, and the sometimes perilous ways they attempt to define themselves.  A siren song of a novel, The Ophelia Girls seduces as much as it disturbs.”   —Ellie Eaton, author of The Divines     “A bruising and beautiful novel about girlhood and desire. Set over two heady summers, The Ophelia Girls perfectly captures the power and vulnerability of being a teenage girl. Within its flower-strewn pages, girls float carelessly down rivers and fall in love with devastating consequences. It's an immersive and intoxicating summer read with the long-lasting feel of a classic. I was captivated by it.” —Molly Aitken, author of The Island Child     " The Ophelia Girls is a novel saturated with beauty, menace, longing, secrets-- and with passions deep enough to drown in. It's a sinister, suspenseful page-turner that gripped me tightly and still hasn't fully let go." —Clare Beams, author of The Illness Lesson   "Sensual and lush, The Ophelia Girls captures the dangerous power of approaching the world with an artist's eye, of seeing others and being truly seen in turn. Jane Healey's prose holds the haunting beauty of pre-Raphaelite paintings, paired with a page-turning exploration of girlhood, secrets, desire, and art." —Sara Flannery Murphy, author of The Possessions   "Those seeking stories of female coming-of-age and how experiences of sexuality and death can shape teenage girls into the women they later become will find much to explore in The Ophelia Girls."—Booklist   "A lush, seductive portrait of desire."—Publishers Weekly     —