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The Delusions
The outstanding new novel from the prize-winning author of The Panopticon, Luckenbooth and Ootlin
'Brilliant, original, daring, a 1984 for the afterlife' Irvine Welsh, author of Trainspotting
'Wholly wondrous ... I'm improved for having read it' Niall Griffiths, author of Broken Ghosts
Edi is facing a disciplinary since her 'incident' at work. Forty-seven years in Admin processing the newly dead is not how she foresaw eternity.
In Arrivals, the newly dead must take the stages in first, extract delusion; second, answer HR's questionnaire truthfully. Yet who among them can truly face who they are? Who may never pass at all? As leaderboard numbers begin to rise at unprecedented rates, rumours begin to fly. Humans are about to become a banned race. The earth is going to be repossessed.
As chaos descends, Edi hopes this might finally be the moment she has waited for, so she might see her son again who she was forced to leave on Earth when she died. Edi wants to be the one waiting for him, even if HR protocols forbid it. Looking out at the millions of newly dead arriving, Edi has one question - what might any of us truly be willing to do for those we love at the doors of eternity?
Against a spectacular backdrop of stars, constellations and comets, a mass extinction event begins to unfurl watched by the entire universe as Processing, the largest soul terminus in existence, decides it is now time to take matters wholly back into its own hands. With reflections on love, defiance and light, The Delusions is a story of profound human connection, on an unprecedented scale.
Praise for Jenni Fagan
'Fagan's writing is poetic, high-octane, arresting' Sunday Times
'She writes unlike any other author of her generation' The Scotsman
'One of our most exceptional writers' Adelle Stripe
'Brilliant, original, daring, a 1984 for the afterlife' Irvine Welsh, author of Trainspotting
'Wholly wondrous ... I'm improved for having read it' Niall Griffiths, author of Broken Ghosts
Edi is facing a disciplinary since her 'incident' at work. Forty-seven years in Admin processing the newly dead is not how she foresaw eternity.
In Arrivals, the newly dead must take the stages in first, extract delusion; second, answer HR's questionnaire truthfully. Yet who among them can truly face who they are? Who may never pass at all? As leaderboard numbers begin to rise at unprecedented rates, rumours begin to fly. Humans are about to become a banned race. The earth is going to be repossessed.
As chaos descends, Edi hopes this might finally be the moment she has waited for, so she might see her son again who she was forced to leave on Earth when she died. Edi wants to be the one waiting for him, even if HR protocols forbid it. Looking out at the millions of newly dead arriving, Edi has one question - what might any of us truly be willing to do for those we love at the doors of eternity?
Against a spectacular backdrop of stars, constellations and comets, a mass extinction event begins to unfurl watched by the entire universe as Processing, the largest soul terminus in existence, decides it is now time to take matters wholly back into its own hands. With reflections on love, defiance and light, The Delusions is a story of profound human connection, on an unprecedented scale.
Praise for Jenni Fagan
'Fagan's writing is poetic, high-octane, arresting' Sunday Times
'She writes unlike any other author of her generation' The Scotsman
'One of our most exceptional writers' Adelle Stripe
Kindle Edition
Published March 19, 2026
33 people are currently reading
554 people want to read
About the author
Jenni Fagan
31 books700 followersJenni Fagan has published four fiction novels, one non-fiction memoir, seven books of poetry and had scripts produced for stage and screen. She has three degrees, concluding as Dr. Of Philosophy, specialising in structuralism.
Jenni is an award winning, critically acclaimed poet and novelist. She is published in eight languages. A Granta Best of Young British Novelist (once-in-a-decade-accolade), Scottish Novelist of the Year (2016), Pushchart nominated, on lists for BBC International Short Story Prize, Impac Dublin, The Sunday Times Short Story Award, Encore, among others. The New York Times called her The Patron Saint of Literary Street Urchins.
Fagan is also an artist who exhibits canvas and sculptures, her bone artworks are on permanent display at Summerhall, where she kintsugi’d the building with poems in gold.
Jenni has written articles for the Independent, NY Times, Marie Claire. She has held Writer in Residence positions at the University of Edinburgh, Robert Louise Stevenson Fellowship and Gavin Wallace.
She has worked extensively with women in prison, and those from deprived backgrounds.
She is currently adapting The Blade Artist by Irvine Welsh for tv, also The Panopticon, Luckenbooth and Hex.
Jenni is an award winning, critically acclaimed poet and novelist. She is published in eight languages. A Granta Best of Young British Novelist (once-in-a-decade-accolade), Scottish Novelist of the Year (2016), Pushchart nominated, on lists for BBC International Short Story Prize, Impac Dublin, The Sunday Times Short Story Award, Encore, among others. The New York Times called her The Patron Saint of Literary Street Urchins.
Fagan is also an artist who exhibits canvas and sculptures, her bone artworks are on permanent display at Summerhall, where she kintsugi’d the building with poems in gold.
Jenni has written articles for the Independent, NY Times, Marie Claire. She has held Writer in Residence positions at the University of Edinburgh, Robert Louise Stevenson Fellowship and Gavin Wallace.
She has worked extensively with women in prison, and those from deprived backgrounds.
She is currently adapting The Blade Artist by Irvine Welsh for tv, also The Panopticon, Luckenbooth and Hex.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 25, 2026
The general idea is good. It was interesting to see, how the story of the main character and the circumstances are unfolding.
Seen from this point, it's nice to read.
The author tried to show the ambivalence of good behavior in parts but in other parts it is plain simple black/white.
The general background of the setting lacks explanations. While this might be intentional, there is too much left vague in my opinion.
It's also not consistent, when the actual timeline is around 2025 (calculated from some years given in the story added that the main character already "lived" 47 years in the "afterlive") and memories include a smartphone ...
But if you put those things aside it is a nice read.
Seen from this point, it's nice to read.
The author tried to show the ambivalence of good behavior in parts but in other parts it is plain simple black/white.
The general background of the setting lacks explanations. While this might be intentional, there is too much left vague in my opinion.
It's also not consistent, when the actual timeline is around 2025 (calculated from some years given in the story added that the main character already "lived" 47 years in the "afterlive") and memories include a smartphone ...
But if you put those things aside it is a nice read.
Displaying 1 of 1 review