“For a moment, I am mesmerised by his fearlessness. But there’s another part of me, a dark part, that wonders what it would feel like to watch him fall.”

To the outside observer, Sasha Marsh is a dedicated single mum who goes above and beyond to ensure seven-year-old Gabriel lives a happy, healthy life in their sleepy Costwold village.

Yet beneath the façade of normalcy lies a darker reality, one where the doors and windows are always locked; where her son is never allowed to play outside, and where Sasha lives in constant fear.

With their violent past always at the forefront of her mind, and a family secret threatening to come to light, Sasha remains unflinching in her resolve to protect Gabriel, from others and himself.

But at what cost?

Bridport Prize shortlisted author and cult survivor Jess Blatchley delivers a dark psychological thriller exploring the inevitability of human decisions, and whether nurture can shape a mind seemingly destined to destroy.