In a remote Polish village, Janina Duszejko lives alone, studies astrology, translates William Blake and mourns the disappearance of her dogs.

When members of the local hunting club begin dying in strange circumstances, she develops a theory that nobody will take seriously: the animals are avenging themselves upon the men who killed them. It's a murder mystery, philosophical fable and howl of ecological rage, all in all a topsy-turvy novel that turns eccentric older woman’s supposedly irrational worldview against the organised violence around her. 

The title comes from William Blake’s Proverbs of Hell, whose poetry runs throughout the novel as a language of revolt against rationalised cruelty. Originally published in Poland in 2009, the book attracted fierce political controversy, was shortlisted for the 2019 International Booker Prize and helped establish Tokarczuk’s international readership around the time of her Nobel Prize.

Australian edition, later printing. Translated from the Polish by Antonia Lloyd-Jones. Text Publishing, 2018; this copy printed in 2025. Paperback. Good condition, with light creasing and shelf wear to the covers.