In the final episode of the year, Susie is joined by one of her all-time favourite writers: Abigail Dean, the internationally bestselling author of Girl A, Day One, and her extraordinary new novel The Death of Us.

Across her three novels, Abigail has become known for exploring trauma, memory, survival and the complicated ways people love each other through unthinkable circumstances. The Death of Us - Susie’s Book of the Year and the most-recommended title by authors on this podcast - follows Edward and Isabelle, a couple whose lives are torn apart when their home is invaded by a man who will go on to become an infamous serial killer. Twenty-five years later, with the perpetrator finally caught, they must confront what truly happened that night — and what it did to their marriage.

In this conversation, Abigail shares the deeply personal origins of the novel, why she sees it as a love story interrupted by a thriller, and how writing a victim impact statement became the key to unlocking Isabelle’s voice. She also discusses the influence of true crime culture, the challenge of portraying different kinds of victims, and why she’s drawn to unconventional forms of family.

Follow Abigail here: https://www.instagram.com/abigailsdean/

Buy The Death of Us: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/abigail-dean-novel-2025-abigail-dean/7681254?ean=9780008625610&next=t

Books recommended in this episode:

The Benefactors by Wendy Erskine: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-benefactors-the-enthralling-debut-novel-about-class-power-and-what-being-a-parent-means-wendy-erskine/808f057eda0b8493?ean=9781399741668&next=t

Bring The House Down by Charlotte Runcie: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/bring-the-house-down-charlotte-runcie/5d4cac5913375d29?ean=9780008688011&next=t