The new life

Crewe, Tom

£16.99

John Addington is married to Catherine, but has spent his life trying to navigate his desires for men. Now there is Frank, the working-class printer he meets at the Serpentine swimming lake. Henry Ellis is married to Edith, but she has fallen in love with Angelica, who wants Edith all for herself. These two Victorian marriages, each an unexpected love triangle, are stalked by guilt and shame. But they are also in the vanguard of new ideas for social equality, women’s rights and relationships which break convention. ‘The New Life’ explores the possibilities of love and life, set against the riveting backdrop of the Oscar Wilde trial.

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Publish Date: 12/01/2023

Description

* Featured in The Observer 10 best new novelists for 2023 * ‘Beautifully crafted’ Sunday Times * ‘Powerful Telegraph * ‘Virtuoso’ Guardian * ‘Brims with intelligence and insight’ New York Times * ‘A very fine new writer’ Kate Atkinson *

London, 1894. After a lifetime navigating his desires, John has found a man who returns his feelings. Meanwhile Henry is sure that his unconventional marriage will bring freedom.

A shared vision for the future brings John and Henry together to write a revolutionary book in defiance of convention and the law.

Their daring book threatens to throw John and Henry, and all those around them, into danger. How far should they go to win personal freedoms? And how high a price are they willing to pay for a new way of living?

‘A beautifully written debut set in Victorian London… some of the best writing on desire I’ve readDouglas Stuart, author of Shuggie Bain

‘Enthralling . . . I’m confident I have read one of the most beautifully crafted, lavishly imagined novels of 2023’ Sunday Times

Additional information

Weight 584 g
Dimensions 241 × 163 × 35 mm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Hardback

Pages

400

Language

English

Edition

Hardback original

Dewey

823.92 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K