Francine Toon

Author:
Francine Toon

Date of birth: 1986
Place of birth: Canterbury, England

About the author:
Francine Toon is a British novelist and poet whose work is often defined by its atmospheric "Tartan Gothic" style and a deep-seated connection to the landscapes of Scotland. Born in Canterbury in 1986, she spent her formative years moving between England and Portugal before settling in the Scottish Highlands at age nine. This remote, rugged environment—specifically the area around Dornoch—and her later home in St Andrews, Fife, serve as the primary inspirations for her writing.

Career & Education
Toon attended Edinburgh University, where she studied Classics and began her foray into writing through student journalism. Her professional path has been rooted in the literary world; after interning at Chambers Dictionaries, she moved to London to build a career in publishing. She spent several years as a commissioning editor for Sceptre and now works with The Novelry, a creative writing school.

Notable Works
Toon's debut novel, Pine (2020), became a Sunday Times bestseller and was met with significant critical acclaim. The story, which follows a young girl and her father in a secluded Highland village, successfully blends elements of folk horror with the tension of a psychological thriller.

Awards: Pine won the 2020 McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year and was longlisted for the Highland Book Prize.
Poetry: Writing under the name Francine Elena, her poetry has been featured in The Sunday Times, Poetry London, and the Best British Poetry anthologies.
Recent Release: Her second novel, Bluff (2025), is a dual-timeline literary thriller set in a fictionalised version of St Andrews, exploring themes of memory and small-town secrets.

Themes & Style

Toon is known for her ability to weave the supernatural into the mundane. Her narratives frequently explore:

Isolation within small, claustrophobic communities.
The "Butterfly Effect" of historical events on the present day.
The wildness of childhood and the complexities of memory.
She currently lives in London, though her work remains firmly anchored in the haunting landscapes of the north.

Books that we've read by Francine Toon (1):
Pine (2020).