These Mortal Bodies : a gripping and atmospheric dark academia novel about toxic female friendships and obssession

Author: Muriel Barbery

Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)

Published on 26 February 2026 by Pushkin Press in the United Kingdom.

Paperback | 336 pages
196 x 129 x 29 | 292g

'Barbery explores the mystical connections between nature, art and the human heart with vivid clarity'

'A mix of J.R.R. Tolkien and Hayao Miyazaki, epic in scope yet grounded by humour' Publishers Weekly

One cold November night, in the sixth year of a devastating war, Alejandro de Yepes and his loyal lieutenant, Jesús Rocamora, discover intruders in the castillo's cellars. Leaving no footprints in the snow, these curious visitors come seeking peace and friendship-and perhaps a glass or two of wine. Yet behind their cheerful exterior lies a mission of the gravest urgency: to save a dying realm.

Soon, Alejandro and Jesús abandon their posts, crossing a magical bridge into a land of lingering fog and extraordinary beauty, where the fate of all living creatures hangs in the balance. From the bestselling author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog comes a bewitching, witty, and timely meditation on the interconnectedness of peoples, of the human and natural worlds, and a call to destiny unlike any other.