Sarah Perry

The debut novel by the bestselling author of THE ESSEX SERPENTOne hot summers day, John Cole decides to leave his life behind.He shuts up the bookshop no one ever comes to and drives out of London. When his car breaks down and he becomes lost on an isolated road, he goes looking for help, and stumbles into the grounds of a grand but dilapidated house.Its residents welcome him with open arms - but theres more to this strange community than meets the eye. They all know him by name, theyve prepared a room for him, and claim to have been waiting for him all along.Who are these people? And what do they intend for John?Elegant, gently sinister and psychologically complex, After Me Comes the Flood is the haunting debut novel by the author of The Essex Serpent.

The Sunday Times bestseller 'One of the most memorable historical novels of the past decade' - Sunday Times Let THE ESSEX SERPENT wrap itself around you this summer London 1893. When Cora Seaborne's husband dies, she steps into her new life as a widow with as much relief as sadness: her marriage was not a happy one, and she never suited the role of society wife. Accompanied by her son Francis - a curious, obsessive boy - she leaves town for Essex, where she hopes fresh air and open space will provide the refuge they need. When they take lodgings in Colchester, rumours reach them from further up the estuary that the mythical Essex Serpent, once said to roam the marshes claiming human lives, has returned to the coastal parish of Aldwinter. Cora, a keen amateur naturalist with no patience for religion or superstition, is immediately enthralled, convinced that what the local people think is a magical beast may be a previously undiscovered species. As she sets out on its trail, she is introduced to William Ransome, Aldwinter's vicar. Like Cora, Will is deeply suspicious of the rumours, but he thinks they are founded on moral panic, a flight from real faith. As he tries to calm his parishioners, he and Cora strike up an intense relationship, and although they agree on absolutely nothing, they find themselves inexorably drawn together and torn apart, eventually changing each other's lives in ways entirely unexpected. Told with exquisite grace and intelligence, this novel is most of all a celebration of love, and the many different guises it can take.

A sweeping multi generational tale blending fable farce and fantasy

Hugely readable and profoundly important ... Perry's masterly piece of postmodern gothic is one of the great achievements of our century' The Observer SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2019 DYLAN THOMA

Like A.S. Byatts Possession, Enlightenment is a baroque, genre-bending novel of ideas, ghosts and hidden histories. A richly layered epic....a heartfelt paean to the consolations of the sublime, where religion and science meet." -- Telegraph"Read it, then read it again. This is a book full of unexpected wonders." -- Literary ReviewFrom the author of The Essex Serpent, a dazzling novel of love and astronomy told over the course of twenty years through the lives of two improbable best friends.Thomas Hart and Grace Macaulay have lived all their lives in the small Essex town of Aldleigh. Though separated in age by three decades, the pair are kindred spiritstorn between their commitment to religion and their desire to explore the world beyond their small Baptist community.It is two romantic relationships that will rend their friendship, and in the wake of this rupture, Thomas develops an obsession with a vanished nineteenth-century astronomer said to haunt a nearby manor, and Grace flees Aldleigh entirely for London. Over the course of twenty years, by coincidence and design, Thomas and Grace will find their lives brought back into orbit as the mystery of the vanished astronomer unfolds into a devastating tale of love and scientific pursuit. Thomas and Grace will ask themselves what it means to love and be loved, what is fixed and what is mutable, how much of our fate is predestined and written in the stars, and whether they can find their way back to each other.

GANADORA DEL BRITISH BOOK AWARD 2016 Señalada como libro del año por la cadena de librerías Waterstones y nºmero uno en la lista de libros más vendidos del Sunday Times, La serpiente de Essex tambien fue finalista del Costa Award 2016 y seleccionada para los premios Wellcome Book y el Baileys 2017.Una fantastica muestra de literatura gotica contemporanea: en la epoca de los grandes descubrimientos cientificos, un leviatan alado aterroriza a un pequeño pueblo ingles.Ambientada en Londres y en un pueblo de Essex en la decada de 1890 e inspirada por los debates de los descubrimientos medicos y cientificos de la epoca, La serpiente de Essex es en esencia la historia de dos personas extraordinarias que se enamoran de una forma poco corriente.Cuando el marido de Cora Seaborne fallece, esta comienza su nueva vida con tanta tristeza como alivio: su matrimonio no era feliz y nunca encajo en el papel de esposa perfecta. Acompañada por su hijo Francis, deja Londres y se traslada a Essex, donde espera que los espacios abiertos les proporcionen el refugio que necesitan. Alli escuchan rumores de mas alla del estuario que aseguran

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2016 COSTA NOVEL AWARD SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2016 London 1893. When Cora Seaborne's controlling husband dies, she steps into her new life as a widow with as much relief as sadness. Along with her son Francis - a curious, obsessive boy - she leaves town for Essex, in the hope that fresh air and open space will provide refuge. On arrival, rumours reach them that the mythical Essex Serpent, once said to roam the marshes claiming lives, has returned to the coastal parish of Aldwinter. Cora, a keen amateur naturalist with no patience for superstition, is enthralled, convinced that what the local people think is a magical beast may be a yet-undiscovered species. As she sets out on its trail, she is introduced to William Ransome, Aldwinter's vicar, who is also deeply suspicious of the rumours, but thinks they are a distraction from true faith. As he tries to calm his parishioners, Will and Cora strike up an intense relationship, and although they agree on absolutely nothing, they find themselves at once drawn together and torn apart, affecting each other in ways that surprise them both. The Essex Serpent is a celebration of love, and the many different shapes it can take.