For those who’ve felt the hollow hunger of ambition…
Set the table, sharpen your knives: it’s time to feast
Our Poetic Ruin
a novel
by critically acclaimed author Lyndall Clipstone
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Dear Reader,
How far would you go for creative perfection?
Orphea Vernell has spent her lifetime as the muse of her famous poet mother. Desperate to become a poet in her own right, she finally has the chance when she attends her mother’s Intensive—an exclusive three-week summer retreat in the hills of Vermont, where four aspiring poets known as “lambs” submit to experimental workshops designed to unlock their creative talent.
As both as an artist and published author, I know all too well the ever-shifting goalposts of a creative career. In Our Poetic Ruin, I’ve taken this experience to the extreme point in Orphea’s desire to succeed in the competitive, claustrophobic world of the Intensive.
Inspired by beguiling, unreliable female narrators like Merricat Blackwood from Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and the unnamed protagonist of Ottessa Moshfegh’s My Year of Rest and Relaxation, Orphea is relentless as she strives toward creative perfection.
As she fights to escape her mother’s shadow, outshine her rival—elegant, ambitious Proserpine Gale—and claim her place as a lauded poet, Orphea must decide how far she’ll go to sate the (literal) hunger of her aspirations…
For those who’ve felt the hollow hunger of ambition: set the table, sharpen your knives: it’s time to feast.
xx Lyndall Clipstone
At an exclusive writer’s retreat, the daughter of a famous poet will stop at nothing to feed the (literal) hunger of her ambition…
How far would you go for creative perfection?
Each summer four girls are handpicked to attend the Intensive—an exclusive retreat hosted by famed confessional poet Laurel Vernell. At her isolated Vermont estate known as Melusine, Laurel’s four “lambs” participate in experimental sessions to unlock their poetic talent.
For those who complete the three-week Intensive, endless possibilities await that most poets only dream of. And this summer, one of the lambs is Laurel’s daughter, twenty-one-year-old Orphea…
After a lifetime as her mother’s muse, Orphea is ready to step out of Laurel’s shadow. But claiming her place amongst the lambs isn’t easy, especially when one of them is Laurel’s protégée— elegant and ambitious Proserpine Gale.
As her rivalry with Proserpine quickly turns to toxic desire, Orphea will stop at nothing to secure her status as a lauded poet.
There are monstrous appetites at Melusine, and the perfection Orphea is desperate for demands a high price...
To sate the (literal) hunger of her ambition, Orphea must decide what she will sacrifice— or consume—for the success she craves.
Comparative Titles
Character profiles
Age: 21
Hometown: Melusine, Vermont
Orphea’s mysterious three-week disappearance into the Melusine woods inspired the award-winning collection of poems, Lachesis Night, which cemented Laurel Vernell’s reputation as the most talented confessional poet since Anne Sexton and gave Orphea a lifelong role as her mother’s muse.
This summer, Orphea finally has the chance to step out from her mother’s shadow. But Orphea’s ambition is a hungry thing, and she will go to ruthless lengths to keep it fed…
Orphea Vernell
Age: 21
Hometown: “too small to be on a map”, Indiana
Laurel’s protégée, the only lamb to attend the Intensive two summers in a row. Bright, talented and ambitious, Proserpine is Orphea’s biggest rival… and her unavoidable romantic weakness.
Proserpine Gale
Age: 23
Hometown: Portland, Maine
Quiet and determined, Sloan recently withdrew from the prestigious Hartskill College in order to attend the Intensive. Her sweet nature hides a steel-sharp desire to succeed, and achieve perfection at all costs.
Sloan Beckett
Age: 26
Hometown: Wellesley, Massachusetts
The oldest of the lambs, Eudora is introverted and serious. A former student at the Elder Conservatorium, she is ruthlessly focused and will do anything to take her poetry to the highest level.
Eudora Morrow
Playlist
Moodboard
About the author
Lyndall Clipstone is an erstwhile illustrator (all of the artwork on this page is hers!), and the critically acclaimed author of four books for young adults.
A former youth librarian who grew up running wild in the Barossa Ranges of South Australia, she currently lives in Adelaide, in a hundred-year-old cottage with her partner, two children, and a shy black cat.
Her debut novel, Lakesedge, was a Dymocks, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble bestseller, nominated for the 2021 Book Shimmy Awards, and selected as one of Better Reading’s 2022 top 50 kids’ books. Her sophmore novel, Unholy Terrors, was featured in Teen Vogue, and chosen as a Kids’ Indie Next Pick for Nov/Dec 2023
Her most recent novel, Tenderly, I am Devoured received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly, was chosen as a Kids’ Indie Next Pick for July/August 2025, was named a 2025 Most Anticipated Romantasy, Most Anticipated Book of Summer, and Best Book of the Week by Goodreads, was the #1 requested ARC in Teens & YA on netgalley, top 5 most requested in all netgalley categories, and adapted for audio by Spotify