S. F. Prescott

An ominous, steady burn.

Emma van Straaten is a writer of British Mauritian heritage living in London with her husband and two children. In 2021, she won the inaugural Women’s Prize Discoveries Award with an early partial draft of Creep. This is her first novel; it will also be published in the UK under the title This Immaculate Body.

Creep will be published February 25th, 2025.

A young woman falls in love with the man whose house she cleans, even though they’ve never met.

The title to this novel matches the vibes perfectly. I really enjoy books about obsession so when I read the premise of this one I couldn’t wait to get stuck in. The entire time reading I felt dread, convinced Alice was capable of something depraved. The author did a great job pulling me into Alice’s lonely world, and it was clear there was more going on with her mental health. Although, sometimes her interiority felt overwhelming, causing me to lose touch with the scene, the character’s voice was compelling. The story gripped me throughout, but the pace was on the slower side compared to what I normally read. I wanted more from the plot and this felt more character driven. The scene near the end was disturbing when the truth of what she was capable of was revealed, but I still wanted more. The author’s writing style was elevated and dark; something I enjoy!

In the vein of I’m a Fan by Sheena Patel, and for readers who enjoy dark literary voices and slow burning suspense.

Synopsis:

Alice and Tom are made for each other. Deeply connected, they share a flat in London, go to galleries together, enjoy the same books and wine. They even share a toothbrush. It’s all picture perfect.

Except Alice and Tom have never met.

Alice has been cleaning Tom’s apartment every Wednesday for a year. With every smudge wiped from his coffee cup, every multivitamin counted in the jar, Alice spirals deeper into infatuation, imagining a love so powerful it might erase a lifetime of self-hatred and loneliness.

But as Alice prepares for the moment when she and Tom will finally meet face-to-face, she discovers that love might not be the cure she thought it was. Instead, the line between fantasy and reality becomes ever more blurred, shattering everything Alice thought she knew.