Bring the House Down
A one woman show
A one night stand
A one star review
‘Sharp-witted, wise, and authentic – what a fierce, fantastically funny read’ CLAIRE LOMBARDO
‘Funny, bold and tender … I loved this incendiary debut’ EMILIA HART
At the Edinburgh Fringe, vicious theatre critic Alex Lyons is dashing off his latest hatchet job.
When Alex meets the show’s performer, Hayley, in a bar afterwards, she has no idea who he is. It’s only after they’ve spent the night together that Alex’s well-meaning flatmate, Sophie, accidentally shows Hayley the one-star review.
Humiliated and furious, Hayley revamps her show into a one-star review of Alex’s entire life. Starring every bad thing he’s ever done to anyone. Sparing absolutely no details.
Hayley’s show is an instant hit, setting off a cultural earthquake. With Alex’s life in ruins, Sophie has a front-row seat to the carnage. Which is how she discovers that, sometimes, the audience is the most dangerous place to be.
Funny and thrilling, for readers of Cleopatra and Frankenstein or Fleishman is in Trouble, this is an extraordinary debut novel about bad art and good art and who gets to say what. About the one-star reviews we wish we could give out, and the personal criticism we would rather not face.
'Bring the House Down is sharp-witted, wise, and authentic - what a fierce, fantastically funny read' Claire Lombardo, New York Times bestselling author of The Most Fun We Ever Had and Same As It Ever Was -
'Funny, bold and tender, Bring the House Down is a biting study of power, gender and the meaning of art. I loved this incendiary debut' Emilia Hart, bestselling author of Weyward -
'An agile, addictive story exploring art, ethics, the role of the critic, vindication of female rage, and the public appetite for blood. Runcie is sharply attuned to the vast uncomfortable grey areas of gender and power relations, navigating them with wry, revelatory observations that are devastatingly acute. Atmospheric, propulsive, electric' Heidi Sopinka, author of The Dictionary of Animal Noises -
”'A novel about losing and finding yourself again, about who we are versus who we think we are, and about the inner lives we rarely reveal. Runcie’s characters feel so real I wouldn’t be surprised to find myself next to them on the train or to overhear them on the streets of Edinburgh” - Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of The Sleep Watcher, Starling Days and Harmless Like You
'I devoured Bring the House Down - and when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. Charlotte Runcie combines her searing observation and immaculate pacing with infectious prose in this compelling, comedic and seriously clever debut novel. I can't wait for everyone else to read it so I can finally talk about it at length' Alice Vincent, author of Why Women Grow -
'If you adore funny fiction, then pop this book on your 2025 wishlist… We’re in. All in' Love Reading -