The Drownings an electrifying comingofage story, set on a campus with the darkest history

<p>'Barkworth is excruciatingly good' <b>OBSERVER</b><br>'An extraordinary story of female power and rage' <b>KATIE BISHOP</b><br>'Breathtaking' <b>ERIN KELLY</b><b><br><br>SOMETIMES YOU MUST CHOOSE TO PLAY WITH FIRE...</b><br><br>On a remote university campus in the north of England, famed for the wild waters that surround it, two cousins arrive for the new term.<br><br>Zara wants to be at the centre of everything Leysham has to offer.<br>Serena, an ex-champion swimmer, struggles to find her place.<br><br>When they meet Jane, a beguiling and ambitious postgrad obsessed with historic local witch trials, both are drawn in by her desire to expose Leysham's dark legacy - a centuries-old culture of violence among the privileged elite.<br><br>As protests flare across the campus, a simmering rivalry takes hold between the cousins. But when cracks start to appear in Jane's stories, everything spirals out of control...<br><br><b>*</b><br><br>'I can't remember the last time I read a book that described so perfectly the powers held within and used against women's bodies' <b>KATE VAN DER BORGH</b><br><b><br>A provocative and suspenseful campus novel about obsession, influence and the power of young women - for fans of <i>The Four</i></b><b><i>, Weyward</i> and <i>Promising Young Woman.</i></b><br><br><br><b>Praise for Hazel Barkworth<i>: </i></b><br><br>'Stylish and sensual' <b>Kiran Millwood Hargrave</b><br><br>'Utterly immersive' <b>Clare Mackintosh</b><br><br>'A sultry, stifling debut exploring power, consent and womanhood' <i><b>Cosmopolitan</b></i><br><br>'Barkworth has a pin-sharp eye for detail . . . it's propulsive, though-provoking and atmospheric' <b><i>Daily Mail</i></b></p>