End of Story

  • Emily Glenister

  • High-Concept; Thriller

  • January 2023

    • Serbia: Laguna

    • UK & Commonwealth: Hodder & Stoughton

Too much imagination can be a dangerous thing

It's the year 2035 and fiction has been banned by the government for five years. Writing novels is a crime. Reading fairytales to children is punishable by law.

Fern Dostoy is a criminal. Officially, she has retrained in a new job outside of the arts but she still scrawls in a secret notepad in an effort to capture what her life has become: her work on a banned phone line, reading bedtime stories to sleep-starved children; Hunter, the young boy who calls her and has captured her heart; and the dreaded visits from government officials.

But as Fern begins to learn more about Hunter, doubts begin to surface. What are they both hiding? And who can be trusted?

Selected Praise

“End of Story is unsettling, twisty, emotional, and so expertly written that you live every dark, discomforting moment with its protagonist. Not just a highlight of March, expect this book to be a highlight of the year.”
— ​Culturefly
“A bewitching and heartbreaking story about motherhood, guilt, the power of fiction and redemption. Unlike anything else I’ve read - utterly breathtaking.”
— ​Catherine Cooper, author of The Chalet
“A story that shocks, enchants and terrifies, End of Story lures you in to its darkly captivating world then rips the rug out from under you and breaks your heart. Loved it. Bravo, Louise!”
— Eve Smith, author of The Waiting Rooms

Other books by Louise Swanson

Other books by Louise Beech

Other books by Louise Beech

  • This Is How We Are Human (Orenda Books)

  • I Am Dust (Orenda Books)

  • Call Me Star Girl (Orenda Books)

  • The Lion Tamer Who Lost (Orenda Books)

  • Maria in the Moon (Orenda Books)

  • The Mountain in My Shoe (Orenda Books)

  • How To Be Brave (Orenda Books)