by Barbara Barrow

“A worthy cousin to Donna Tartt's The Secret History.”

—Jen Michalski, author of You'll Be Fine and The Company of Strangers

Dawn and her best friend Amber are students at Stillwater School, an experimental academy that’s the laughingstock of Atlanta. When Ms. Ella arrives to teach the eighth grade, she shakes up the school with her radical ideas and violent discipline, building an enthusiastic following and even winning the loyalty of rebellious Dawn.

The imprint she leaves on her students is both profound and damaging, long after scandal shuts down the school and leads to Ms. Ella’s arrest. Dawn pursues a destructive path into Ms. Ella’s family, while Amber embraces a solitary, bookish life. Years later, after Dawn’s mysterious death, Amber sets off to find her estranged former teacher. In the process, she uncovers a shocking story of narcissism, art, betrayal, and murder.

The Quelling and An Unclean Place

by Barbara Barrow

Discover the haunting work of Barbara Barrow in this two-book bundle featuring her complete novel collection. This bundle will ship the week of May 8, 2023.

The Quelling

Addie and Dorian have always been together. Diagnosed with a rare psychiatric condition and accused of murder in childhood, the sisters have spent most of their lives in a locked ward under the supervision of eccentric researcher Dr. Lark.

But Dr. Lark sees the sisters as key to the completion of his revolutionary cure. As his “treatments” grow increasingly bizarre, their only lifeline may be a ward nurse with troubles of her own.

An Unclean Place

Dawn and her best friend Amber are students at Stillwater School, an experimental academy that’s the laughingstock of Atlanta. When Ms. Ella arrives to teach the eighth grade, she shakes up the school with her radical ideas and violent discipline, building an enthusiastic following and even winning the loyalty of rebellious Dawn.

The imprint she leaves on her students is both profound and damaging, long after scandal shuts down the school and leads to Ms. Ella’s arrest. Dawn pursues a destructive path into Ms. Ella’s family, while Amber embraces a solitary, bookish life. Years later, after Dawn’s mysterious death, Amber sets off to find her estranged former teacher. In the process, she uncovers a shocking story of narcissism, art, betrayal, and murder.

by Barbara Barrow

“Complex and strange, The Quelling is a marvel of a debut.”

—Jen Julian, author of Earthly Delights and Other Apocalypses,
winner of Press 53's 2018 Short Fiction Prize

Addie and Dorian have always been together: the two sisters have spent most of their lives in a locked ward after being diagnosed with a rare psychiatric condition and accused of murder as children. Now on the cusp of adulthood, Addie plans to start a new family to replace the one she lost, while Dorian struggles with her own violent tendencies to help raise her sister's child. But Dr. Lark, the supervisor of their ward, sees these patients as the key to his revolutionary Cure. As his "treatments" become increasingly bizarre, Addie and Dorian are increasingly unsafe, and a ward nurse may be their only lifeline.

A Foreword INDIES Gold Award Winner for Adult Literary Fiction