Not of This Brood
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Pub Date 3 Sep 2026 | Archive Date 27 Aug 2026
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Description
IN SHORT:
After a short psychiatric ward stay, Elio returns to an isolated Irish chrysanthemum farm, where buried secrets, unsettling tensions, and a decades-old disappearance force him to question the women who once saved him—and the past he has spent years trying to escape.
BUT IN FULL:
At twenty-nine, Elio Moretti has built his life around what feels safe: routines, solitude, and the careful distance he keeps from those around him. His mother’s abandonment was only the first fracture in a life shaped by grief, loss, and the quiet certainty that everyone eventually leaves.
After a summer in a psychiatric ward following a suspected overdose, Elio returns to the chrysanthemum farm on the outskirts of a small Irish town, where years earlier he found refuge under the care of his benefactor, the kindhearted Signora Bianchi, and her closest friend, Olga—both Italian immigrants like himself and the closest thing he has ever known to family.
But the place that once offered sanctuary no longer feels the same.
As the quiet order of the farm begins to unravel and long-buried tensions rise to the surface, Elio finds himself drawn into the mystery of a decades-old disappearance whose roots reach deeper than he ever imagined—forcing him not only to question the women who once saved him, but also to confront the past he has spent years trying to outrun.
Because the only place that has ever felt like home may have been built on truths he was never meant to uncover, Elio must reckon with the devastating possibility that belonging and love have always come at a cost.
NOT OF THIS BROOD is an atmospheric novel about family, grief, identity, and the human need to belong. Blending an intimate character study with a slow-burning mystery, it explores generational trauma and the enduring weight of our choices—and how they echo through the lives of those who come after us.
*Readers of Celeste Ng, Donna Tartt, Ann Patchett, Gillian Flynn, and Hanya Yanagihara will find themselves drawn into a haunting literary mystery where grief, identity, and buried family secrets collide.
A Note From the Publisher
This novel contains themes and depictions that might be sensitive to certain readers. The experiences represented in this novel are not intended to reflect the diversity of individual journeys or responses to similar circumstances. Though this novel was inspired by real emotions, people, and situations, in the end this is a work of fiction, and some elements have been heightened and changed for dramatic effect.
Advance Praise
"Very strong debut. With beautiful, compelling storytelling and a thoughtful exploration of complex themes, the novel handles difficult subject matter with remarkable nuance and sincerity, never feeling forced or overly sentimental. Teddi Cular is an exceptionally promising new voice, and I look forward to seeing what he writes next."
"The mystery unfolds at just the right pace, revealing enough clues to keep you guessing while allowing the emotional story to take center stage. By the second half, I couldn’t put it down, and the final twists genuinely surprised me."
"One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its atmosphere. The small Irish town, the chrysanthemum farm, and its cast of richly developed characters all feel vividly real. I also loved the structure, with each section and chapter drawing from the growth cycle and varieties of chrysanthemums, adding beautiful layers of symbolism around memory, healing, and growth."
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9368438097368 |
| PRICE | $17.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 378 |
Available on NetGalley
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Featured Reviews
Hauke S, Reviewer
Not of This Brood was such an addictive read — I devoured it in just two days and could barely put it down.
The story follows Elio, who returns to the chrysanthemum farm on the outskirts of a small Irish town after a summer in a psychiatric ward. Years earlier, this farm was his sanctuary — the closest thing to family he’d ever known, thanks to his benefactor Signora Bianchi and her friend Olga. But this time, the place doesn’t feel the same, and Elio finds himself pulled into a decades-old mystery that forces him to question everyone he once trusted, including the two women who saved him.
From the very beginning, the author does a wonderful job getting us acquainted with the characters, and it doesn’t take long before you’re completely invested in piecing together what actually happened. That emotional hook pulled me in immediately and kept me turning pages.
The pacing is where this book truly shines — and where it also became a bit tricky for me. The story moves fast, and by the final stretch, the twists come one after another in rapid succession. Just as I was processing one reveal, the next shock hit. On one hand, this made for a thrilling, can’t-look-away reading experience. On the other, it was occasionally almost too much too quickly, and I felt like I didn’t have enough time to fully sit with each revelation before the story rushed on to the next one.
Still, the sheer momentum of the plot and how deeply I connected with Elio and his journey made this a memorable read. If you love a fast-paced mystery with an emotional core and don’t mind a whirlwind ending, this one delivers.
Michelle C, Librarian
Not of This Brood by Teddi Cular
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Not of This Brood by Teddi Cular.
Not of This Brood follows Elio, an Italian immigrant to Ireland. The novel opens up as Elio is leaving rehab and reentering society after a mental illness scare. Elio is returning to an isolated chrysanthemum farm where he has lived with his hosts, Giulia and Olga for several years. Unfortunately, Elio’s routine is not seamless, he experiences certain fragmented memories that forces him to confront his past abandonment issues and reconcile it with new information that has been uncovered.
I was surprised to learn this is a debut novel. The author, Teddi Cular, does an excellent job of balancing the heavy out with humor, warmth, and connection. This honestly felt like an immersive experience, where I was right there with Elio, a fly on the wall, while he dealt with family, grief, identity, and dealing with feelings of belonging. I was able to imagine the setting and plot points perfectly from the writing Teddi employs.
Teddi Cular honestly thought of everything. There are so many special touches to this novel which pushes it to be pretty special. The novel is broken into the four parts of a flower: The seed, the sprout, the stem, and the flower. Each chapter has a different flower label. All fine tuning the motif throughout the novel. If it is in the book, it is in the book for a reason. Don’t miss out on all the fun in finding them.
There were SO many lines I wanted to underline. It is the kind of story that makes you stop reading for a second because they somehow put a feeling into words you’ve struggled to articulate yourself.
If you like your thrillers with emotional depth and your literary fiction with a little suspense, I think Not of This Brood might be worth adding to your list.