Rising Stars : Sarah Perry and Cecilia Ekbäck

We are thrilled to welcome two authors at the forefront of contemporary fiction, Cecilia Ekbäck and Sarah Perry. Ekbäck and Perry will be introducing sensational new historical novels : In the Month of the Midnight Sun and The Essex Serpent both have at their core an intriguing exploration of the thrilling and often mysterious relationship between science and faith, skepticism and superstition.

Perfect for lovers of Jessie Burton and Sarah Waters, these novels are steeped in history, delicate and charming in the way they weave plot and character. Join us for a unique journey, a perfect pair for a summer’s evening in the bookshop!

Ekbäck’s bestselling debut novel, Wolf Winter, was a breathtaking Gothic thriller that exploded onto the scene with exceedingly good reviews. Now Ekbäck returns with another thrilling contribution to literary noir, In the Month of the Midnight Sun. Drawing on her Swedish upbringing and Finnish heritage Ekbäck has created a masterpiece of Nordic fiction depicting an unlikely couple sent on a treacherous journey to the far North. Set in 19th century Stockholm, this novel entices its readers into the captivating relationship between the two travelers, the communities and the terrain that they encounter and the dark secrets that unfold under the eerie light of the midnight sun.

‘Eminently repays reading for the beauty of its prose, its strange, compelling atmosphere and its
tremendous evocation of the stark, dangerous, threatening place’ -Guardian

‘Like a silent fall of snow; suddenly, the reader is enveloped… visually acute, skilfully written; it won’t easily erase its tracks in the reader’s mind.’ -Hilary Mantel

Sarah Perry similarly burst onto the literary scene with a critically acclaimed debut novel After Me Comes the Flood. Perry’s second novel, The Essex Serpent, is reminiscent of the Gothic classics – an intriguing mystery set against the backdrop of Victorian London and the muddy banks of Essex. The story weaves together the unlikely friendships of an experimental surgeon, a London Society lady and a country pastor. The three are brought together by the most unusual circumstances – the return of the mythical Essex serpent.

‘Had Charles Dickens and Bram Stoker come together to write the great Victorian novel, I wonder if it would have surpassed The Essex Serpent? No way of knowing, but with only her second outing, Sarah Perry establishes herself as one of the finest fiction writers working in Britain today.’ – John Burnside

‘Perry is a startlingly good writer. If she doesn’t win the Booker prize one day, I’ll be amazed.’ -Sophie Hannah