Published February 5th, 2026 by Doubleday
Literary Fiction
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
Think your family is dysfunctional? Meet the Flynns.
For the three Flynn daughters, it’s been disastrous since their parents opened up their marriage. Abigail, the eldest, is dating an ex-soldier several years her senior nicknamed ‘War Crimes Wes’. Louise, the middle child, maintains a secret correspondence with an online terrorist. And the brilliant youngest, Harper, is being sent to a wilderness reform camp due to her insistence that someone – or something – is monitoring the town’s citizens.
Casting a shadow across their lives is Paul Alabaster, a nefarious local billionaire. Rumours of corruption circulate, but no one dares dig too deep. No one except Harper, whose obsession with Alabaster’s machinations sends the family hurtling into a criminal conspiracy – one that may just, finally, bring them closer together.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE 2026
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MY REVIEW:
When the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize shortlist was announced I decided to try and read as many of the books as possible before the winner was declared. I only managed two books, but one of them was this superbly original debut that had been on my TBR since last year.
A quirky, moving, immersive and darkly funny portrait of a dysfunctional family, Lost Lambs is an unforgettable debut. It follows the Flynn family: parents Bud and Catherine and their three daughters Abigail, Louise and Harper. The girls are strange and the parents miserable. Recently, Catherine and Bud agreed to open their marriage and it is the talk of the town. And their arrangement hasn’t made life easy for their daughters. Each of the girls are rebelling in their own way: Abigail is dating an ex-soldier who is quite a bit older than her, Louise is secretly corresponding with an online terrorist, and Harper has been expelled from school and is being sent to a wilderness reform camp. The family becomes embroiled in a conspiracy that involves nefarious local billionaire Paul Alabaster. But could this be what finally brings them back together?
Madeline Cash is a unique and exciting new voice in fiction. And if this is what she delivers for her debut, I can’t wait to read whatever comes next. Masterfully written, she expertly pulls the reader into the story and makes it impossible not to feel invested in the Flynn family’s lives. They are a dysfunctional and weird family, but they are also strangely compelling and I quickly became invested in their lives. However odd the girls are, it is impossible not to feel for teenagers whose parents’ open marriage is the talk of their town. They are also being neglected and lack emotional support, making an already difficult time in their lives even harder. It’s hardly surprising that each girl is rebellious. They are left to their own devices; starved of parental supervision and affection. Neither of the parents is particularly likeable but there were times I felt for Bud, who is clearly struggling with his mental health.
An unmissable debut from a promising new author, I highly recommend this book.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
Thanks to Doubleday for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Madeline Cash is an American author and co-founder of Forever Magazine. Her debut novel Lost Lambs was published in 2026. She previously authored a collection of short stories published as a book in 2023 Earth Angel, op-eds and interviews with artists featured in publications like Nylon, Los Angeles Times, Highsnobiety, and short literary fiction in The Baffler and Granta.
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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxxx
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