Victorian Psycho: A Novel (Hardcover)

Description

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SOON TO BE A FEATURE FILM FROM A24 STARRING MARGARET QUALLEY AND THOMASIN MCKENZIE



"This book will be the bloody belle of the 2025 literary ball." (Oprah Daily)

Most Anticipated Books of 2025: Vulture, Oprah Daily, Polygon, Reader's Digest, Lit Hub, Men's Health, CrimeReads, The Stacks, LibraryReads, Paste

Best Books of the Month: Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, TIME, Goodreads, Gizmodo, Book Riot, The A.V. Club, Apple Books, Amazon

The American Booksellers Association's #1 Indie Next Great Read! (Feb 2025)

A Matty Maggiacomo Book Club Selection



“Simmering with rage, propulsive and laugh out loud funny, Victorian Psycho speaks profoundly of horror both within and without us.” —Catriona Ward



From the acclaimed author of Mrs. March comes the riveting tale of a bloodthirsty governess who learns the true meaning of vengeance.

Virginia Feito’s Mrs. March was hailed as “a brilliant debut . . . [by] a writer who keeps pace with the grandees she invokes” (Sarah Ditum, Guardian)—from Daphne Du Maurier and Shirley Jackson to Patricia Highsmith. Now, Feito returns with her “silver-polish sentences and her eerie psychological acumen” (Constance Grady, Vox) to unleash an entirely new antihero on us all.



Grim Wolds, England: Winifred Notty arrives at Ensor House prepared to play the perfect governess—she’ll dutifully tutor her charges, Drusilla and Andrew, tell them bedtime stories, and only joke about eating children. But long, listless days spent within the estate’s dreary confines come with an intimate knowledge of the perversions and pathetic preoccupations of the Pounds family—Mr. Pounds can’t keep his eyes off Winifred’s chest, and Mrs. Pounds takes a sickly pleasure in punishing Winifred for her husband’s wandering gaze. Compounded with her disdain for the entitled Pounds children, Winifred finds herself struggling at every turn to stifle the violent compulsions of her past. French tutoring and needlework are one way to pass the time, as is admiring the ugly portraits in the gallery . . . and creeping across the moonlit lawns. . . .



Patience. Winifred must have patience, for Christmas is coming, and she has very special gifts planned for the dear souls of Ensor House. Brimming with sardonic wit and culminating in a shocking conclusion, Victorian Psycho plunges readers into the chilling mind of an iconic new literary psychopath.

About the Author

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Virginia Feito, raised in Madrid and Paris, studied English and drama at Queen Mary University of London and advertising at Miami Ad School. She writes regularly for Vanity Fair Spain and is the author of the acclaimed Mrs. March.

Praise For…

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[Victorian Psycho] lives up to its literary namesakes, delivering unrelenting gore and shock in the vein of those earlier novels by Bret Easton Ellis and Robert Bloch.... Feito’s 2021 debut novel, Mrs. March, revealed her skill for eking out dread and terror from the mundane life of a woman past her prime.... What’s consistent between the books is Feito’s macabre sense of humor. [Feito] has moved on from the pitiably self-conscious Mrs. March to the defiant, hallucinatory confidence of Winifred Notty: both deliciously unlikable in their own ways, both a pleasure to root for in their misguided travails.

— Jac Jemc - New York Times Book Review

Vandalism and lechery are among the milder affronts that occur on Winifred’s watch, and her narration, though sombre, sparkles.
— The New Yorker

Winifred might be the smartest, wittiest and most brutal psychopath to grace the pages of a comedy of manners that turns into a horror show — all in an age rife with repression.
— Bethanne Patrick - Los Angeles Times

This book will be the bloody belle of the 2025 literary ball; preorder now!
— Oprah Daily

A deliciously devious new book.
— People

Virginia Feito distills all the 19th century horror tropes you can remember into one witty and addictive mad-governess tale.
— Kate Tuttle - Boston Globe

A considerable wave of hype has grown around Victorian Psycho.... Happily, there’s good reason to keep talking about [it], well beyond a movie deal. Sleek, deadly and paced like a runaway train, Feito’s novel is an absolutely delectable mashup of horror sensibilities, and one of 2025’s must-read genre releases.... Fittingly, Winifred’s voice is the star of this particular show. Feito draws on her novel’s namesake, Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho, when it comes to portraying Winifred’s inner turmoil, and blends that with the polished Victorian intricacy of writers like Henry James and Charles Dickens.... At just 200 pages, Victorian Psycho is lean, lithe and clear in its purpose and its violent delights. It’s a book you can easily finish in a single sitting, yet Feito’s prose is so dense with meaning and subtlety that you may just pick it right back up again. The novel whistles along at a breakneck pace but also immerses you deeply in everything, from the tapestries adorning the house’s walls to the joys of Victorian mummy unwrappings. You won’t want to leave Winnifred’s dark world.... Perfect for fans of CJ Leede’s Maeve Fly and Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw alike, Victorian Psycho is one of those books you won’t just read. You’ll get lost in it, and you’ll be delighted by what you find in its sardonic embrace.

— Bookpage, starred review

A murderous woman dropped into a gothic novel is a recipe for delightfully disturbing and grimly comedic bloodshed . . . Fans of gothic literature who don’t mind gruesome deaths will savor watching Winifred go beyond simply eating the rich in this seemingly by-the-book gothic story that subverts some of the genre’s conventions.
— Library Journal, starred review

Deliciously macabre!
— New York Times Book Review: an Editors’ Choice

Sleek, deadly and paced like a runaway train, Feito’s novel is an absolutely delectable mashup of horror sensibilities, and one of 2025’s must-read genre releases. ...At just 200 pages, Victorian Psycho is lean, lithe and clear in its purpose and its violent delights. It’s a book you can easily finish in a single sitting, yet Feito’s prose is so dense with meaning and subtlety that you may just pick it right back up again.

— BookPage, starred review

Beautiful descriptions of disgusting things! Winifred Notty is someone who delights in (killing) the little things. As a governess for a wealthy family, she was hired to teach her charges French and good manners, but she’ll settle for shortening their lifespans. A fun and thoroughly messed up read for your next “notty” pleasure.
— Colorado Sun

It [Victorian Psycho] attacks societal norms of the day and rips them apart --- or at least Winifred Notty does. And speaking of Winifred, it seems highly unlikely that anyone will fall in love with her. But no one will forget her --- or this novel.

— Book Reporter

Those looking for a good revenge horror story should check out Virginia Feito's Victorian Psycho . . . [which] promises a surprising and entertaining spin on the Victorian era.

— Amanda Mullen - Screen Rant

Despite her inclinations to bite, pet, and stab, [Winifred] really is just a girl. A dead-eyed, gnashing psychopath, sure, but still just a girl. Juxtaposed to this hidden danger is her undeniable wit. It makes every repulsive detail read as eloquent. The results are conflicting and addictive, for the satirical commentary never dims on even the goriest exploits. Jane Austen would probably gasp in her grave for such a comparison, but the similarities are there with the remarks on societal stations, the humor, and the precise delivery. It's wicked historical literature at its most morbid.
— Fangoria

It’s my favorite horror novel of the year so far, and for good reason. Feito’s ability to breathe life into a soulless character is nothing short of masterful. With sharp, curt dialogue that doesn’t always match the characters’ seemingly sunny dispositions, this novel blends humor with horror in a way that keeps you on your toes.
— Alexis Powell, The King’s English Bookshop in Salt Lake City, Utah - Electric Literature

Her bold approach to storytelling peels back the layers of Victorian society, exposing its contradictions, power struggles, and hidden darkness. Through her unapologetic portrayal of a cold-blooded female psychopath, Feito questions whether societal pressures and repression can truly explain such violent behavior—or if, perhaps, the madness runs much deeper.
— Eric Akoto - Litro Magazine

There is substance and weight behind every action, coupled with a sharp wit and dark humor.... The pages fly by, and it’s over way too quickly. I enjoyed every moment.
— Lineup

I don’t read a lot of historical fiction, but the protagonist of this book—the living embodiment of #nofilter—was just so compelling, I couldn’t stop reading. This woman’s deeds are truly heinous, and the book pulls no punches in describing them. At the same time, I couldn’t help rooting for her because, deep down, I felt the source of her ire deserved everything he got. Bonkers as this book is, it provided some fantastic commentary on womanhood and sexuality and desire.
— Steph Auteri - Feminist Book Club

An unputdownable read . . . Notty is the unreliable narrator trope at its most unhinged. She resists an oppressive time and the faulty system in a bold, laugh-out-loud way that you can’t help but root for. Feito gives readers a psycho killer and yet, amongst the classism and manipulative, toxic men, the question remains: who is the true monster here?
— Cemetery Dance

I have been filleted and flayed and generally violated by this novella. I couldn’t recommend it enough. That being said, Victorian Psycho, is a book that demands silence, not because there’s nothing to discuss (that is far, far from the truth) but because you need to bear the full brunt for yourself. Whilst it seems linear, a plot that can only feasibly end in one way (the way that it does) it’s anything but predictable. It’s audacious and malicious, from page 1, to the inevitable denouement, which we are dragged toward kicking and screaming and writhing. I will be sending my therapy bill to 4th Estate books, along with my heart-felt thanks for my copy. Those of you in the U S of A can devour this one as of the 4th of February, and in the UK, it hits shelves on the 13th. Clear your schedule, and leave yourself at least a week on either side.

— George Dunn - FanFiAddict

Tagged as dark humour, satire, and horror, this is a study of the psychopathy of human nature and it works brilliantly.
— Fiona Allison - Historical Novel Society

This bold and unapologetic novel gripped me from the very first page with an unsettling tale I couldn’t put down.
— Justin Soderberg - Capes & Tights

Jane Eyre meets Shirley Jackson (think: We Have Always Lived in the Castle) in this Victorian horror-comedy . . . This nasty novella doesn’t spare innocents or shy away from on-the-page violence and gore, culminating in a deliciously macabre finale. It is a fantasy of female rage and wickedness, and boy, is it fun.

— NW Book Lovers

I predict this book will be the next sensation.... This book is ridiculously smart and well written.
— Madison Public Library

A twisted, bloodthirsty governess celebrates Christmas with her new employers. Where ironic horror and horrific irony meet, this unbridled madhouse of a novel dazzles like a bloody jewel.
— Kirkus Reviews

Feito unspools a bold and mordant gothic novel about a murderous governess... 'In three months everyone in this house will be dead,' reads a caption under a drawing of an estate. The novel’s perverse thrill is in slowly uncovering how and why the Poundses meet their fate. Along the way, Feito provides readers with searing glimpses of Winifred’s derangement...Fans of psychological horror will be enthralled.
— Publishers Weekly

Riotous, devilishly clever, and deliciously appalling, Victorian Psycho is flat-out brilliant. No one is spared (not even us) from Winifred’s wrathful whims while Virginia Feito deftly presents the case that Winifred is being quite reasonable. Long live Winifred! She is the antihero this, or any other, century deserves.

— Paul Tremblay, New York Times best-selling author of Horror Movie and A Head Full of Ghosts

Victorian Psycho is that rare, extraordinary book that both delivers and completely confounds all your expectations. . . . By drawing from the roots of the gothic, Virginia Feito seems to have invented an entirely new kind of storytelling. From the first to the last line, this novel is nothing less than a masterpiece.

— Catriona Ward, author of The Last House on Needless Street

Some novels pull no punches. What Victorian Psycho pulls is a great handful of intestines, which it then runs gleefully away with.

— Stephen Graham Jones, author of The Only Good Indians

Relentlessly moody, in the best possible way, Victorian Psycho asks how anyone could live sanely in a time so systemically cruel. Atmospheric, funny, bloody as hell—I finished it in one sitting.

— Ainslie Hogarth, author of Motherthing and Normal Women

Grotesque, wildly funny, and utterly weird, this novel will have you hooked as the new governess enters the dysfunctional halls of Ensor’s House. Feito takes the Gothic and tames it like a misbehaving charge.
— Joshua Lambie - Underground Books, Carrollton, GA