Book of Guilt

Shortlisted for the 2026 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards

In a sinisterly skewed version of England in 1979, thirteen-year-old triplets Vincent, Lawrence and William are the last remaining residents of a New Forest home, part of the government’s Sycamore Scheme. Each day the boys must take medicine to protect themselves from a mysterious illness to which many of their friends have succumbed. Children who survive are allowed to move to the Big House in Margate, a destination of mythical proportions, desired by every Sycamore child. Meanwhile, in Exeter, Nancy lives a secluded life with her parents, who never let her leave the house. As the government looks to shut down the Sycamore homes and place their residents into the community, the triplets’ lives begin to intersect with Nancy’s, culminating in revelations that will rock the children to the core. 

Gradually surrendering its dark secrets, The Book of Guilt is a spellbinding novel from one of our greatest storytellers: a profoundly unnerving exploration of belonging in a world where some lives are valued less than others.

'Grand and devastating, and packed with perfectly timed revelations. This involving, humane novel brims with vitality – and soul.’ —The New York Times

'Brilliant. Chidgey's luxurious and unhurried prose stokes tension in a compulsive thriller.' —The Observer

'This is the book of the year.’ —The Spinoff