Reviews & Praise

The New York Times. “…A riveting, gothic page-turner…The Chapel women may be locked away in castles and sanitariums by a series of domineering men, but their unfulfilled longings haunt these pages as powerfully as any family curse.”
—Aamina Ahmad

Sarah Jessica Parker via Instagram. “Just finished WONDERFUL The Cherry Robbers…which I highly recommend and lives up beautifully to all the good word surrounding its publication! I can imagine this a wonderful book club read or for any occasion. A book one doesn’t want to put down.”

BookPage. Starred Review. “Walker has concocted another slyly subversive feminist fable, this time in the form of a grief-laced gothic thriller that takes on weighty topics such as marriage, women’s health and generational trauma… Exquisitely tense and satisfyingly spooky, The Cherry Robbers masterfully blends psycho­logical and supernatural horror. In sensual yet spritely prose, Walker conducts a darkly erotic exploration of female desire, duty and destiny via an ensemble of nuanced female characters, each with distinct personalities and rich inner lives. For fans of Diane Setterfield and Shirley Jackson, as well as readers who relish multi­layered, thought-provoking family sagas, The Cherry Robbers is not to be missed.”
—Stephenie Harrison

Booklist. Starred Review. “Walker’s take on the classic Gothic tale fairly shimmers, titillating with a heady concoction of terror and desire, frothy with fever-pitched emotions, and dark with smothering melancholy and macabre spectres.” —Carol Haggas

Publishers Weekly. “A mix of bildungsroman and ghost story, the narrative gains strength as it illuminates its characters’ power of intuition, especially when they’re not afraid to use it. This uncanny tale of dark origins shines brightly.”

Buzzfeed. “This gorgeously written and all-consuming gothic explores feminism and sexuality and left me more than a little heartbroken.” —Margaret Kingsbury

WBUR Boston. “Walker’s long-anticipated sophomore novel is a spooky departure from the feminist anarchy of ‘Dietland,’ but a welcome one that speaks to the author’s range.” —Katherine Ouellette

For the French publication: Prix des Lecteurs Gallmeister 2024 (WINNER); Prix Libr’á Nous (long list); Grand Prix d’Imaginaire (winner TBA).