Reading Groups in May

Njal’s Saga

The anonymous sagas of the medieval Icelanders are amongst  the most striking and unusual works in world literature. Fusing history, fiction and legendary lore, these stirring prose narratives anticipate the modern novel and continue to cast a spell upon modern readers, affording a fascinating insight into a remote time, place and culture. Set at a time when Viking paganism is giving way to Christianity, the epic saga of the lawyer Njal and the warrior Gunnar tells a driving tale of vengeance carried on across several generations of varied and vividly drawn characters and exploding into thrilling scenes of action and romance.

After Me Comes the Flood – Sarah Perry.

Sarah Perry is a novelist we predict will go far  – her second book, The Essex Serpent  is due out later this year and we expect glittering prizes to come its way. After Me Comes the Flood, Sarah’s debut novel, tells the story of John Cole, who, after deciding to leave his London life behind, stumbles into the grounds of a grand but delapidated house. He is welcomed with open arms – but there is more to this strange community than meets the eye. A dream-like, gothic-tinged narrative which , as John Burnside said, ‘will haunt the reader long after the final page’.