SPOILED MILK Book Club Kit

Spoiled Milk Book Club Kit

A thrilling gothic debut • The untimely death of a student at a girls’ boarding school marks the first in a haunting series of escalating supernatural events, and uncovers buried truths of teenage repression, queer desire, and the everyday horror of coming of age.

A Book Riot Most Anticipated Book of 2026

“Spoiled Milk is a dirty little jewel of a novel, as thrilling as it is unsettling, as moving as it is frequently horrifying. Curran writes with incredible precision on fear, desire and the insidiousness of authority and empire. A truly impeccable novel.” —Julia Armfield, author of Our Wives Under the Sea

“Spoiled Milk is a post-war fable about the death of Empire and a lesbian phantasmagoria, but it’s also one of the most well-executed pieces of horror writing I’ve ever read. It is a terrifically nasty, loving, heretical, filthy look at the boarding school story; Avery Curran puts the entire genre in its grave and then invites the reader to view its exhumed corpse. This book destroyed me.” —Tamsyn Muir, Locus Award-winning author of Gideon the Ninth

“Lush and haunting . . . a chilling tale of repressed passion, queer awakening, and the corrosive power of silence. It’s an impressive start.” –Publishers Weekly

“This lesbian phantasmagoria has everything: silk gloves, sour milk, clandestine visits to mystics, potentially evil yet sexy French teachers.” –Electric Lit

“An instant queer classic.” –Dazed

“Eerie, atmospheric, and lyrically driven, Spoiled Milk may be the most intriguing gothic of the year.” –CrimeReads

To download a PDF of the book club kit, click here or on the image below.