A vivid and compulsive story of obsession, control and guilt, set in Nineties Dublin – perfect for fans of dark academia and Donna Tartt’s The Secret History

A vivid and compulsive story of obsession, control and guilt, set in Nineties Dublin – perfect for fans of dark academia

**An Irish Times Book of the Summer**

'A campus novel with a twist; a blisteringly real story of control and vulnerability, desire and ambition. A propulsive read' ROISÍN O’DONNELL
'Arrives to fill the Secret History-shaped hole in your lives ... Gloriously entertaining’ Observer, Books to look out for in 2025
'A searing exploration into our deepest desires and insecurities. I adored it' Heather Darwent
‘I was gripped by this dark and thrilling fable’ Dominic West
‘I was hooked from the very start’ Rachel Joyce

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Jessica and Linda are closer than sisters. Jessica has always been the lead; Linda, the supporting role. When they arrive at Wilde, an elite university at the heart of Dublin, it seems like nothing will change.

But then Mark enters the picture: an older, brooding, compelling philosophy student. When he and Linda start dating, tensions between Jessica and Linda spill over. And as the true extent of Mark’s control is uncovered, tragedy becomes inevitable – and eventually strikes.

Years later, Jessica is still grappling with her role in what happened. But when an opportunity to set the record straight arises, can she make things right?

"Harding’s style of writing is direct and intense, giving her novel a raw and emotional tone. It’s a compelling read, one which will be hard to forget" - IRISH EXAMINER

"A deliciously dark psychological mystery" - IRISH TIMES, The best books for summer 2025

"A spectacular tour de force" - THE GLOSS, The best books to read this summer

"Propulsive, with echoes of Donna Tartt's The Secret History ... This is dark academia at its most gripping" - ECONOMIST, The best novels published in the second quarter of 2025

"Fans of dark academia or Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, this one’s for you" - HARPER'S BAZAAR, The 25 Best Books Coming Out This Spring

"Full of brooding menace ... A dark and riveting novel" - SUNDAY INDEPENDENT

"Harding gives Jessica a self-excoriating, incisive, bitter, and evocative first-person voice. The Wildelings' inexorable plot is like the proverbial train wreck: shocking, electric, impossible to turn from. Its psychological tumult verges on horror. With this atmospheric roller coaster of a novel, Harding offers pulsing intensity, gut-wrenching emotional upheaval, and high drama in every sense" - SHELF AWARENESS

"A story of obsession, control and guilt, set in 1990s Dublin ... Perfect for fans of dark academia and Donna Tartt’s The Secret History" - IRISH TIMES

"The Wildelings arrives to fill the Secret History-shaped hole in your lives ... Gothic and gloriously entertaining" - OBSERVER, Fiction to look out for in 2025

"The Wildelings is, above all, a rich character study. Every relationship was created with so much care, and I found the novel enthralling, a haunting exploration of friendships and relationships gone sour" - NB MAGAZINE

"Quietly devastating ... Reminded me repeatedly of Shuggie Bain" - OBSERVER

"Stark and terrifying, fast-paced and intensely lucid" - NEW YORK TIMES

"A heady mixture of heartbreak and hope" - TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT

"A pungently propulsive heart-wrencher ... An alarming yet tender portrayal of the slow-burn impact of long-repressed grief" - DAILY MAIL

"[Harding's] writing is taut, and there is such an intensity, an urgency about the narrative that you find yourself turning the pages as if you fear Sonya might race out of sight ... A contemporary, zeitgeisty read and very satisfying" - SUNDAY INDEPENDENT

"Mesmerising, beautifully realised ... Glorious mix of barely-held-together sanity and unbridled honesty" - IRISH INDEPENDENT

"Delves into territories which are as devastating as they are illuminating" - REFINERY29

"Well-crafted … It’s a wild ride, culminating in a scene that combines hope, fear and beauty" - OBSERVER