Winner of the inaugural 20/40 Publishing Prize 2023

Stories of family dysfunction often expose us to relentless failure. And while Ravenous Girls is about the tensions and growing distance between two sisters — the elder burdened by anorexia, the younger by self-doubt — it is distinguished by its lithe and tender understanding of the complexities of growing up.

Wonderfully expressive, Burton’s re-creation of 1980s family relationships is tuned to the quieter, more nuanced moods behind the fears and hopes of her characters.