Books
Published in 2025, The Usual Desire to Kill is her first novel.
The Usual Desire to Kill
An often hilarious, surprisingly moving portrait of a long-married couple, seen through the eyes of their wickedly observant daughter.
“An account of two aging, secretive, disputatious and thoroughly maddening parents - poignant, funny and brilliantly told through gritted teeth.”
“I love nothing more than reading about eccentric families, and the family in The Usual Desire to Kill is just that. Miranda and her sister work to uncover the true story of their parents’ marriage, only to have their brilliant, quirky mother and father deflect them at every turn. Barnes has written a witty, moving novel about characters who, even when they seem incapable of speaking honestly, are worth listening to nonetheless.”
Publication dates
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North America
Publication Date : 1st April 2025
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Germany
Publication date : 27th February 2025
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United Kingdom
Publication date : 4th April 2025
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France
Publication date : spring 2026
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Italy
Publication date : September 2025
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Czech Republic
Publication date : to be confirmed
“Hilarious and heartbreaking, packed with acute and painfully funny observations about relationships and family dynamics. Barnes’s dialogue is pitch-perfect, and her characters dance off the page and straight into your heart. Mum and Dad are magnificent creations, eccentric and endearing, both instantly recognizable and utterly singular.””
“In The Usual Desire to Kill, Camilla Barnes deftly deciphers the secret language of one family, often with deeply funny and knowing results. I loved spending time in the very specific, complicated, and memorable world of this novel.”
Reviews
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
“… Insanely funny.”
“...An impressive debut, a remarkably assured balancing act between comedy and tragedy.”
“...A sophisticated mystery underpins the narrative, a mystery which penetrates deep into the heart of family secrets.”
Publishers Weekly, USA / STARRED
Playwright Barnes combines humor with pathos in her heart-wrenching debut...the genius of the novel lies in the ways Barnes highlights how parents can never be fully known to their children, no matter how observant their children are...an unforgettable story about the limits of judging others.