The Poet

A mesmerizing, provocative, pacy novel-in-verse about a young writer, her manipulative lover, and what happens when she’s pushed to her limit.

I believe every word you say. That was always my mistake.

A PASSIONATE, PAGE-TURNING TALE OF DESTRUCTIVE LOVE AND FEMALE SOLIDARITY, FOR FANS OF THREE WOMEN AND ACTS OF DESPERATION.

‘This is the book I have always needed, it is F*****G BRILLIANT and everyone should read it’ Nikita Gill

‘A beautiful, biting page-turner’ Irish Times

Bright, promising Emma is entangled in a toxic romance with her old professor – and she’s losing control.

Cruel, charming Tom is idolized by his students and peers – confident he holds all the cards.

In their small Oxford home, he manipulates and undermines her every thought and act. Soon, he will push her to the limit and she must decide- to remain quiet and submit, or to take her revenge.

Written in verse and charged with passion and anger, The Poet is a portrait of a deeply dysfunctional relationship, exploring coercive control, class and privilege. It is also a page-turning tale of female solidarity and survival.

‘Brisk, disturbing and very satisfying’ Daily Mail

Author Biography

Louisa Reid has lived in Cambridge, London and Zurich, and now lives near Manchester. She graduated with a degree in English from Oxford before training as an English teacher at Cambridge University and she continues to work as a teacher. Louisa is the author of four novels for young adults; Black Heart Blue and Gloves Off were both nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal.