Synopsis

Alex Lyons always has his mind made up by the time the curtain comes down at a performance—the show either deserves a five-star rave or a one-star pan. Anything in between is meaningless. On the opening night of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, he doesn’t deliberate over the rating for Hayley Sinclair’s show, nor does he hesitate when the opportunity presents itself to have a one-night stand with the struggling actress.

Unaware that she’s gone home with the theater critic who’s just written a career-ending review of her, Hayley wakes up at his apartment to see his scathing one-star critique in print on the kitchen table, and she’s not sure which humiliation offends her the most. So, she revamps her show into a viral sensation critiquing Alex Lyons himself—entitled son of a famous actress, serial philanderer, and by all accounts a terrible man. Yet Alex remains unapologetic. As his reputation goes up in flames, he insists on telling his unvarnished version of events to his colleague, Sophie. Through her eyes, we see that the deeper she gets pulled into his downfall, the more conflicted she becomes. After all, there are always two sides to every story.

Amazon * B&N * Bookshop * Kobo

Praise

“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, New York Times bestselling author of author of Weyward and The Sirens

“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

“Bring the House Down is 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 Utopia

About the Author

Her debut novel, Bring the House Down, is a ‘tender, furious and very, very funny’ (Marie Claire) story of modern desire, betrayal and self-deception set in the world of theatre and criticism. It’s a 2025 novel of the summer according to The New York Times, ELLE, Marie Claire, The Times (London), The Independent, Lit Hub, Bloomberg, Good Housekeeping, The Bookseller and Glamour. Her earlier book, Salt on Your Tongue, is a lyrical work of nonfiction about women, water, and the myths we carry and retell. It was BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week.

Charlotte has spent over a decade writing on books, theatre, and culture for newspapers and magazine,s including The Telegraph, The Guardian, and The Times. She’s also written original fiction for BBC Radio 4, and co-hosts In Haste, a podcast about books, writing, and real life.

She studied English at Cambridge University and is now working on a PhD in medieval literature at Bristol, researching how medieval narratives of fear and enchantment echo in the modern novel.

Charlotte was once a poet (she’s a former Foyle Young Poet of the Year), and her background in poetry still shapes her style and voice. She lives in Wales and is writing a second novel.

Website