Decomposition Book: A Novel

Paperback Published on: 07/05/2026
Price: £10.99
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Bookseller Reviews

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Decomposition Book
one of my favourite books of the year so far
'Decomposition Book' follows Savannah after her mental health worsens after a break up with her best friend, retreating to her family's lake house she stub... READ MORE
Jamie Lee at Trafford Centre
Decomposition Book
A gut punching, take a breath read
This book holds no punches, it's a full OCD/corpse immersion. We have two incredibly written characters, Savannah and Ava. Ava's chapters are astoundingly ... READ MORE
Sarah
Decomposition Book
Fantastic story
This is an absolutely fantastic story. The book goes back and forth between Savannah's pov as she discovers Ava's body in the woods, and journal entries fr... READ MORE
Katie from Harlow
Decomposition Book
Decomposition Book
Unique, daring, eerie - girl power in the most "weird girl fiction" way possible. Dead Ink Books as a publisher always has the knack of bringing us the str... READ MORE
Hebe at Fareham

Synopsis

An emotional, electrifying, and darkly hilarious debut about a woman who finds a dead body and can't give up its ghost, for fans of Mona Awad, Yellowjackets, and weird girl fiction.

Ava thought the great tragedy of her life would be getting stuck in a dead-end office job, but reality looks even grimmer when she goes on an ill-fated hike with two of her coworkers.

Meanwhile, spiraling from a disastrous falling-out with her mercurial best friend, Savannah retreats to her parents' empty lake house in upstate New York. Her days blend together in a hazy swirl of clinically concerning overthinking and alcohol-until she chases her nightly bottle of wine with an Ambien and wakes up in the woods behind her house... next to a dead body.

Unfortunately, Savannah is so down bad that this well-preserved corpse offers some compelling friend potential; after all, a dead person can't judge you, they're amazing listeners, and they're not going to leave. This particular dead person also comes with a handy journal detailing her last six months lost in the woods!

Ava, as it turns out, is more than just a cold, lonely corpse. She was funny. She was smart. And Savannah has finally found someone she can talk to... As Savannah spends more time with both the Ava in front of her and the Ava of the journal, she begins to feel something for Ava she hasn't felt for anyone else-and there's a good chance letting go would haunt her for the rest of her life.

Is Savannah finally losing her grip? Or has she found what she's needed all along?

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Dead Ink Books
  • ISBN: 9781917792134
  • Number of pages: 336
  • Dimensions: 198 x 129 mm

Customer Reviews

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Decomposition Book
Enormous fun, and powerful, too!
This is a truly exceptional debut novel. I'm not sure it should be so enjoyable to read about three people getting lost in the woods and tragically losi... READ MORE
Andrew Hammond
Verified Purchase
Decomposition Book
The Unhinged Buddy Tragedy I Didn’t Know I Needed
Decomposition Book by Sara Van Os is the unhinged buddy tragedy I didn’t know I needed. What a bold and brilliant concept! Savannah is f-ed up in more ways... READ MORE
Peter  Schmitz
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Decomposition Book
I lived for one timeline, decomposed in another.
Weird girl fiction that fully commits, a sad girl spiral, but totally deranged. Vibes, rot, and emotional damage. And it’s darkly funny, you’ll laugh and t... READ MORE
WhatZoReads
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Decomposition Book
.
This is such a uniquely fascinating story, it's a book that feels like it shouldn't work but really does. We get two PoVs. The first one is of Savannah... READ MORE
Paulina
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Decomposition Book
Good but possibly overhyped!
Thank you to NetGalley and Dead Ink Books for the e-ARC of this book for review! I did also receive a physical copy from Dead Ink Books as I am part of the... READ MORE
hanmoleman
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Decomposition Book
Bold daring debut
4-4.25⭐️ This is a book that you need to go into with an open mind and no expectations. If you struggle with the start please keep going as so much unfo... READ MORE
Lesley Lloyd
Decomposition Book
Decomposition Book
A weird, fever dream of a book that I’m glad to have read. At first I found Savannah a little annoying and preferred being in the forest with the gang i... READ MORE
Sophie Peacock
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.Verified Purchase
Decomposition Book
Surprisingly moving tale of spiralling mental health
I started this book thinking I was getting a horror tale about someone finding a dead body in the woods but I ended up getting so much more. Savannah is... READ MORE
Sarah P
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.