Synopsis
'An illuminating and often thrilling work of feminist reclamation' - Guardian
No Friend to This House is an extraordinary reimagining of the myth of Medea from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Stone Blind, Natalie Haynes.
This is what no one tells you, in the songs sung about Jason and the Argo. This part of his quest has been forgotten, by everyone but me . . .
Jason and his Argonauts set sail to find the Golden Fleece. The journey is filled with danger, for him and everyone he meets. But if he ever reaches the distant land he seeks, he faces almost certain death.
Medea – priestess, witch, and daughter of a brutal king – has the power to save the life of a stranger. Will she betray her family and her home, and what will she demand in return?
Medea and Jason seize their one chance of a life together, as the gods intend. But their love is steeped in vengeance from the beginning, and no one – not even those closest to them – will be safe.
Based on the classic tragedy by Euripides, this is Medea as you've never seen her before . . .
Readers are loving No Friend to This House:
‘No Friend to This House is brutal and gut wrenching . . . I loved it!’
‘Natalie Haynes could write a shopping list and I would run out to get a copy of it and read it the same day’
‘No Friend to This House is well paced, intricately woven and very clever - it's a history lesson without the lecture’
'Haynes once again proves that she's the reigning queen of reimagined myth . . . bold, heartbreaking, and utterly unforgettable. I loved it'
Details
11 September 2025
9781529061550Reviews
Haynes’ Medea is especially striking – both fearless witch and desperate lover – capturing all the facets and contradictions of the character in the ancient sources . . . Another masterpiece from Haynes.
[A] wry, witty and ruthless retelling of Euripides' play
Natalie Haynes is a once-in-a-generation storyteller, and No Friend to This House is her masterpiece. Haynes does not so much retell the myth of Medea as excavate it, layer by devastating layer, for truths both timeless and timely. This is a stunning novel that cuts to the bone.
An incredible feat of storytelling, bringing to life all the strands of the divine and human which led to one of the most fascinating myths of all time - Medea
