No Friend to This House is an extraordinary reimagining of the myth of Medea from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Stone Blind, Natalie Haynes.
'Muse, sorceress, high priestess, Haynes is all of these, but above all she is the consummate storyteller.' — Adam Rutherford
‘Natalie Haynes is a once-in-a-generation storyteller, and No Friend to This House is her masterpiece.’ — Dr. Amanda Foreman
‘This book is about many things: the true nature of heroism, ancient magic, loyalty and family, but, most of all, it is a tapestry of choices dictated by sorrow, spite and survival. Another masterpiece from Haynes.’ — Costanza Casati
‘It’s superb: sharp, funny, inventive, powerfully humane…she is one of the most brilliant women in the media.’ - Katherine Rundell
NO FRIEND TO THIS HOUSE
NATALIE HAYNES
18th June 2026 • Picador • PB fiction • £9.99
This is what no one tells you, in the songs sung about Jason and the Argo. This part of his quest has been forgotten, by everyone but me . . .
Jason and his Argonauts set sail to find the Golden Fleece. The journey is filled with danger, for him and everyone he meets. But if he ever reaches the distant land he seeks, he faces almost certain death.
Medea – priestess, witch, and daughter of a brutal king – has the power to save the life of a stranger. Will she betray her family and her home, and what will she demand in return?
Medea and Jason seize their one chance of a life together, as the gods intend. But their love is steeped in vengeance from the beginning, and no one – not even those closest to them – will be safe.
Based on the classic tragedy by Euripides, this is Medea as you've never seen her before…
Natalie Haynes is a Sunday Times bestselling writer and broadcaster. She is the author of novels The Amber Fury, shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize; The Children of Jocasta, a feminist retelling of the Oedipus and Antigone stories; A Thousand Ships (shortlisted for the Women’s Prize), a retelling of the Trojan War from an all-female perspective and Stone Blind, a re-telling of the Medusa story (long listed for the Women’s Prize). Her non-fiction books include The Ancient Guide to Modern Life; Pandora’s Jar about the women in Greek myths and Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth. She has written and presented 11 series of the BBC Radio 4 show, Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics. In 2015, she was awarded the Classical Association Prize for her work in bringing Classics to a wider audience.
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‘Natalie Haynes is back - praise be. She is a goddess, whisking women from the shadows of mythology and into the foreground…In Haynes’ masterful hands, vengeance is Medea’s, but she is also a woman damaged, unsure, heartbroken. It is illuminating, remarkable - a Euripping up of the rulebook.’
- Natasha Poliszczuk
‘an illuminating and often thrilling work of feminist reclamation…Haynes creates an account of her maligned protagonist that is powerfully affecting in its complexity.’ - Guardian
‘[a] wry, witty and ruthless retelling of Euripides’ play.’ – Daily Mail
‘In this empathetic rendering [Medea’s] humanity shines through, the story enriched by amusingly opinionated supporting characters.’ – Mail on Sunday
‘Natalie Haynes…offers an extraordinary feminist reimagining of the myth of Medea, cementing her place in a female pantheon of classical interpreters with Pat Barker, Madeleine Miller and Margaret Atwood.’
– The Oldie
Selected praise for Natalie Haynes
‘Witty, gripping, ruthless’ – Margaret Atwood on Stone Blind
‘[Haynes] deftly drags the classics into the modern world.’ – Kate Atkinson
‘Haynes is a master of her trade.’ – Daily Telegraph
‘Fiercely feminist . . . A many-layered delight’ – The Guardian on A Thousand Ships
‘Haynes’ clever, empathetic writing transforms Medusa from Gorgon into a girl, who’s a victim of the cruel machinations of the gods and of circumstance.’ Red on Stone Blind
‘her zingy, lively style will bring these myths to a new, younger audience, especially girls…’
- Herald on Divine Might
For publicity enquiries please contact Emma Finnigan emma@emmafinniganpr.co.uk | 07870 210 468 | @EmmaFinnigan