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Den: The original and darkly funny new novel everyone's talking about, coming 2027
Not yet published
Expected 11 Feb 27
'Once I've taken his house from him, I will be entering through the front door.'
In a garden somewhere in London, a fox is watching a man called Ben and his family through their kitchen doors.
The fox has been stealing pieces of their lives - the odd shoe, a colourful sock, various bits of cutlery. He plans to one day take over the entire house, and Ben's life with it. The fox believes Ben is doing everything for some reason he's acting strangely, he's not there for his wife when she needs him, and he's missing out on his children growing up. The fox is certain he can do a much better job.
But as his dream gets closer and unusual memories start to recur, it becomes clear that nothing is as
simple as it first appears.
Voyeuristic and original, Den is a strikingly inventive and beautiful novel about what it means to make - and protect - a home. . .
PRAISE FOR DEN:
'At once elegiac and elegant, spiky and tender, surreal and painfully familiar, Den is a moving meditation on the lives we choose and the selves we can't escape from.' - Krystelle Bamford, author of Idle Grounds
'Stunning, surreal, Den is a tender, darkly comic story of grief, family and our basic need for shelter.' - Genevieve Marenghi, author of No Oil Painting
'Tender, humorous and heartbreaking, this inventive new novel by Joe Evans introduces the reader to a side of London life that feels both instantly familiar and wondrously strange. A beautifully written, constantly surprising story about foxes (and humans).' - Emily Midorikawa, author of A Tiny Speck of Black and then Nothing
In a garden somewhere in London, a fox is watching a man called Ben and his family through their kitchen doors.
The fox has been stealing pieces of their lives - the odd shoe, a colourful sock, various bits of cutlery. He plans to one day take over the entire house, and Ben's life with it. The fox believes Ben is doing everything for some reason he's acting strangely, he's not there for his wife when she needs him, and he's missing out on his children growing up. The fox is certain he can do a much better job.
But as his dream gets closer and unusual memories start to recur, it becomes clear that nothing is as
simple as it first appears.
Voyeuristic and original, Den is a strikingly inventive and beautiful novel about what it means to make - and protect - a home. . .
PRAISE FOR DEN:
'At once elegiac and elegant, spiky and tender, surreal and painfully familiar, Den is a moving meditation on the lives we choose and the selves we can't escape from.' - Krystelle Bamford, author of Idle Grounds
'Stunning, surreal, Den is a tender, darkly comic story of grief, family and our basic need for shelter.' - Genevieve Marenghi, author of No Oil Painting
'Tender, humorous and heartbreaking, this inventive new novel by Joe Evans introduces the reader to a side of London life that feels both instantly familiar and wondrously strange. A beautifully written, constantly surprising story about foxes (and humans).' - Emily Midorikawa, author of A Tiny Speck of Black and then Nothing
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Expected publication February 11, 2027
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 24, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Headline | Wildfire for providing me with the ARC.
Pub Date 11 Feb 2027
The only thing I knew about this book was “a fox wants to take over a man’s life and live in his place”. This is more than enough to make you interested if you love a bit of magical realism. In here everything is metaphorical and psychological; this is mostly an exploration of grief and what it’s like to be given up on the world and yourself. I don’t want to get into spoilers, so I’ll just say that reading this was sinister and thrilling. It’s hard to explain the emotional void this put me through. It read like a fairytale, then like a fever dream scenario. I was speculating about the world and the reality this is taking place in but by the end it left me so emotional, made me cry and turned me inside out, that I understood it in a deeper level that it’s unexplainable simply by words. Read this book when it comes out, it’s very original and human, it is an experience I rarely get but crave for every time I pick up a book. Simply phenomenal.
Pub Date 11 Feb 2027
The only thing I knew about this book was “a fox wants to take over a man’s life and live in his place”. This is more than enough to make you interested if you love a bit of magical realism. In here everything is metaphorical and psychological; this is mostly an exploration of grief and what it’s like to be given up on the world and yourself. I don’t want to get into spoilers, so I’ll just say that reading this was sinister and thrilling. It’s hard to explain the emotional void this put me through. It read like a fairytale, then like a fever dream scenario. I was speculating about the world and the reality this is taking place in but by the end it left me so emotional, made me cry and turned me inside out, that I understood it in a deeper level that it’s unexplainable simply by words. Read this book when it comes out, it’s very original and human, it is an experience I rarely get but crave for every time I pick up a book. Simply phenomenal.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Den by Joe Evans is the story of a fox, a fox watching a family and desiring their home as his own, it is the story of a family, and their imperfections, and a collision course is set. Den feels like a literary novel imbued with the narrative thrust of a thriller. I wolfed it down in one sitting (apologies for the wrong animal synonym, but I don't think hungry like a fox is a thing!). It is it's own strange beast, engaging, entertaining and extremely well crafted. I won't talk about its plot - discover that yourself - but just know that this is a fabulous novel that I expect to see on some best of lists following it's publication.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I love foxes and have a gang visit my garden regularly. Those rotters better not be planning on stealing my life!
A very thought-provoking exploration of grief and recovery, with an unusual twist that definitely places this book into psychological thriller territory. It uses my favourite literary device, the unreliable narrator, telling a story in a deceptively simple way - I like the straightforward tone and neutral language that makes it all the more palpably threatening.
A very thought-provoking exploration of grief and recovery, with an unusual twist that definitely places this book into psychological thriller territory. It uses my favourite literary device, the unreliable narrator, telling a story in a deceptively simple way - I like the straightforward tone and neutral language that makes it all the more palpably threatening.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Magnificent from start to finish. A beautifully written and clever story about grief, memory, and what truly makes a home. I loved watching the characters slowly become the family they took over, uncovering the pain and memories they had tried to escape. Haunting, emotional, and thought-provoking! I can’t wait for others to discover it!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley, Headline/ Wildfire and Joe Evans for the invitation to read an ARC of Den!
This book was so engrossing; mesmerisingly mysterious, strange and unsettling. The prose is quietly beautiful, evoking vivid imagery of a simultaneously mundane yet surreal world. The plot is bizarre and immensely thought provoking.
I imagine this book would be very rewarding to reread (which I am very tempted to do!) because the rich intrigue naturally encourages close reading and digging for clues to try to figure out what’s really happening and what the deeper meaning of it all is. I think this could be a huge book club book when it is published in February ’27 as it has the potential to spark so much conversation and speculation, with readers having evolving thoughts and theories about the plot and (particularly) the themes from start to finish.
I am so tempted to delve deeper into my thoughts here but I think it would be best to go into this book as I did, knowing very little about what you’re about to read and so I won’t go into my theories for now. But please when you’ve read it come back to chat!
As I feel I’ve been very vague so far I will try to hint at themes without getting too spoilery. This book centres themes such as life and its cycles, grief and the mysteries and complexities of people’s inner worlds and how it is easy to judge from an outside perspective.
I thoroughly recommend this book to readers who enjoy examining texts closely and considering their deeper meanings, readers who enjoy books that entwine metaphor with quiet plots simmering with tension beneath the surface, and readers whose gardens foxes frequent. (P.S. you’ve got to be a reader who is on board with a fair bit of weirdness)
You may enjoy this book if you loved Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield or Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter.
This book was so engrossing; mesmerisingly mysterious, strange and unsettling. The prose is quietly beautiful, evoking vivid imagery of a simultaneously mundane yet surreal world. The plot is bizarre and immensely thought provoking.
I imagine this book would be very rewarding to reread (which I am very tempted to do!) because the rich intrigue naturally encourages close reading and digging for clues to try to figure out what’s really happening and what the deeper meaning of it all is. I think this could be a huge book club book when it is published in February ’27 as it has the potential to spark so much conversation and speculation, with readers having evolving thoughts and theories about the plot and (particularly) the themes from start to finish.
I am so tempted to delve deeper into my thoughts here but I think it would be best to go into this book as I did, knowing very little about what you’re about to read and so I won’t go into my theories for now. But please when you’ve read it come back to chat!
As I feel I’ve been very vague so far I will try to hint at themes without getting too spoilery. This book centres themes such as life and its cycles, grief and the mysteries and complexities of people’s inner worlds and how it is easy to judge from an outside perspective.
I thoroughly recommend this book to readers who enjoy examining texts closely and considering their deeper meanings, readers who enjoy books that entwine metaphor with quiet plots simmering with tension beneath the surface, and readers whose gardens foxes frequent. (P.S. you’ve got to be a reader who is on board with a fair bit of weirdness)
You may enjoy this book if you loved Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield or Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Den is one of those books that’s difficult to neatly describe... and I think that’s part of its appeal.
Told partly through the perspective of a fox watching a family from their garden, this is a strange, unsettling and surprisingly moving story about family, grief, fear and the idea of home. I found myself thinking of Orwell’s Animal Farm while reading, particularly in the way the animal perspective becomes a vehicle for exploring very human behaviour and choices.
The pace is measured rather than fast, but there’s an increasing sense that something isn’t quite right. It has the quality of a fever dream... familiar enough to draw you in, but increasingly strange and disorientating as the story unfolds. And beneath the premise is something much more emotional: questions about the choices we make, the mistakes we carry, and whether, given the chance to go back, we would really do things differently.
It’s certainly a book that will linger. There’s something quietly haunting about it that stayed with me after I finished the final page.
I can genuinely see myself picking up a physical copy when it’s published and rereading it. I have a feeling this is one of those books where a second reading might reveal a whole different layer.
Thank you to Joe Evans, NetGalley and Headline Publishing for the advanced copy.
Told partly through the perspective of a fox watching a family from their garden, this is a strange, unsettling and surprisingly moving story about family, grief, fear and the idea of home. I found myself thinking of Orwell’s Animal Farm while reading, particularly in the way the animal perspective becomes a vehicle for exploring very human behaviour and choices.
The pace is measured rather than fast, but there’s an increasing sense that something isn’t quite right. It has the quality of a fever dream... familiar enough to draw you in, but increasingly strange and disorientating as the story unfolds. And beneath the premise is something much more emotional: questions about the choices we make, the mistakes we carry, and whether, given the chance to go back, we would really do things differently.
It’s certainly a book that will linger. There’s something quietly haunting about it that stayed with me after I finished the final page.
I can genuinely see myself picking up a physical copy when it’s published and rereading it. I have a feeling this is one of those books where a second reading might reveal a whole different layer.
Thank you to Joe Evans, NetGalley and Headline Publishing for the advanced copy.
September 22, 2026
Straight from the premise of this book, I knew it was right down my alley. A fox is watching a suburban family, stealing little bits and pieces from their home; a sock here, a pillow there, until eventually he has accumulated enough to make his own little human like home in his Den. He doesn’t plan on stopping here though. He won’t stop until he has acquired this family’s home as his own.
This book was so cleverly written, the pacing was incredible and I found myself staying up way past my bedtime NEEDING to know what happens next. The characters are complex, loveable at times, not so loveable at other times, and entirely original. There is an eeriness to this story that had me on the edge of my seat, feeling the anxieties of the characters along with them.
A beautiful exploration of love, family and what it means to find your way back to yourself through grief. The concept felt so refreshingly original, brought to life through tender and moving prose that has stayed with me after I’ve finished reading. I cannot wait to have a physical copy of this on my shelf when it releases and to hear others thoughts on this wonderful novel!
Thank you to Headline books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.
This book was so cleverly written, the pacing was incredible and I found myself staying up way past my bedtime NEEDING to know what happens next. The characters are complex, loveable at times, not so loveable at other times, and entirely original. There is an eeriness to this story that had me on the edge of my seat, feeling the anxieties of the characters along with them.
A beautiful exploration of love, family and what it means to find your way back to yourself through grief. The concept felt so refreshingly original, brought to life through tender and moving prose that has stayed with me after I’ve finished reading. I cannot wait to have a physical copy of this on my shelf when it releases and to hear others thoughts on this wonderful novel!
Thank you to Headline books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Ok this is an unusual book.
I read this as an ARC from @Netgalley and will provide an honest review.
I liked this book, it was strange, different, weird, interesting, and just a little creepy.
The story starts out from the perspective of a lone fox who wants to take over the home of a human family. However, as the story progresses this becomes one of the more ordinary aspects of the story.
The character development of the Bens and Allys is fascinating and utterly incredible, but neatly signposted by Cy and Marje in advance. The narrative moves along swiftly and easily. Each event more bizarre than the last.
What happens when we achieve our dreams?
Must we lose a part of the self to become more?
Does an internal change lead to external change?
Are, we humans, responsible for our own destruction?
How do we cope with and live with grief?
On one hand, this book stimulates much questioning about what it means to be a human, a parent, a partner, a member of a community, all influenced by experience.
Alternatively, it can read as a weird and quirky story!
I read this as an ARC from @Netgalley and will provide an honest review.
I liked this book, it was strange, different, weird, interesting, and just a little creepy.
The story starts out from the perspective of a lone fox who wants to take over the home of a human family. However, as the story progresses this becomes one of the more ordinary aspects of the story.
The character development of the Bens and Allys is fascinating and utterly incredible, but neatly signposted by Cy and Marje in advance. The narrative moves along swiftly and easily. Each event more bizarre than the last.
What happens when we achieve our dreams?
Must we lose a part of the self to become more?
Does an internal change lead to external change?
Are, we humans, responsible for our own destruction?
How do we cope with and live with grief?
On one hand, this book stimulates much questioning about what it means to be a human, a parent, a partner, a member of a community, all influenced by experience.
Alternatively, it can read as a weird and quirky story!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews