A tense and heart-wrenching domestic thriller from the Lucy Cavendish 2020 Fiction Prize shortlisted author of The Watch.

No one comes between this mother and daughter.
Georgie and her mother Cherry have had their ups and downs. But now they’re devoted to each other – and when Cherry learns that she’s in the early stages of dementia, Georgie is with her every step of the way…
…Until she can’t be. And that’s when he steps into her mother’s life. The one who’s been waiting, watching, whispering.
In turns deeply moving and deeply chilling, The Youngster is about one woman’s spiralling descent when her mother is taken away from her by a damaged younger man.
The Youngster will be published on 7th August 2025 as a hardback (£17.99).
About the author
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Bibi Berki was born in Cambridge to Hungarian parents, grew up in Hull, then settled in South East London. She worked originally as a news reporter but now writes on all kinds of subjects, though primarily film history. She is the author of The Watch (Salt, 2021) and her audio series, The Kiss, is one of Sight & Sound‘s recommended film podcasts.
Praise for The Watch by Bibi Berki
‘An absorbing exploration of the responsibilities we have for other people, and what it means to do good, which tips expectations on their heads with a surprising conclusion.’
The Herald
“Frank, shrewd and involving” Will Eaves
“The sense of dread that continually rises and falls in the opening chapters is nothing short of masterful.”
Cathie Hartigan, author of The Creative Writing Student’s Handbook
“A novel that asks how responsible we are for each other, and how much control we have over our own lives, let alone the lives of other people.”
Margaret James, author of The Silver Locket