A Sunday Times Book of the Year
A Press Association Book of the Year
'Beautifully written, you will be drawn into the claustrophobic world of the mere, where sinners fear the retribution of both God and the devil'
- Laura Shepherd-Robinson, bestselling author of The Square of Sevens
‘Haunting and beautiful . . . Even in Mere's brutality, there is a rare tenderness to be found’
- Lucy Rose, bestselling author of The Lamb
Norfolk, AD 990. Deep in the Fens, an order of holy sisters lives in quiet isolation, cut off from the outside world by a treacherous marsh known as the mere. Convent healer Hilda and her fellow nuns follow God’s path under the steely guidance of their abbess.
But when a young servant boy goes missing in the marsh, rumour and division spread like wildfire through the community and the abbess's grip falters. Where is the boy? Who took him? Why can he not be found?
Then, newly arrived Sister Wulfrun has a vision: a curse is upon them and change must be brought. As the convent is swept up in a fight for its very survival, Hilda finds herself caught in her own battle between her conscience and her growing feelings for the enigmatic Wulfrun . . .
‘A forbidden and passionate love story which held me captivated to the last page’
- Anya Bergman, author of The Witches of Vardo
Genre: Historical
A Press Association Book of the Year
'Beautifully written, you will be drawn into the claustrophobic world of the mere, where sinners fear the retribution of both God and the devil'
- Laura Shepherd-Robinson, bestselling author of The Square of Sevens
‘Haunting and beautiful . . . Even in Mere's brutality, there is a rare tenderness to be found’
- Lucy Rose, bestselling author of The Lamb
Norfolk, AD 990. Deep in the Fens, an order of holy sisters lives in quiet isolation, cut off from the outside world by a treacherous marsh known as the mere. Convent healer Hilda and her fellow nuns follow God’s path under the steely guidance of their abbess.
But when a young servant boy goes missing in the marsh, rumour and division spread like wildfire through the community and the abbess's grip falters. Where is the boy? Who took him? Why can he not be found?
Then, newly arrived Sister Wulfrun has a vision: a curse is upon them and change must be brought. As the convent is swept up in a fight for its very survival, Hilda finds herself caught in her own battle between her conscience and her growing feelings for the enigmatic Wulfrun . . .
‘A forbidden and passionate love story which held me captivated to the last page’
- Anya Bergman, author of The Witches of Vardo
Genre: Historical
Praise for this book
"This is historical fiction at its most captivating. Mere is a story about fear and survival, each page crackling with intrigue . . . Simmering with secrets and ultimately love, I was swept away by this book." - Molly Aitken
"Mere is a stunning debut novel. As the old pagan world of dark magic collides with the fragile faith of a group of nuns isolated in the treacherous fenlands of Norfolk in the 10th century, the community struggle to survive. At its heart is a forbidden and passionate love story which held me captivated to the last page." - Anya Bergman
"It is rare for an author to fully recreate the strangeness of the past, but Danielle Giles has done exactly that. Through eerie, beautiful writing, she takes readers on a mystery in Medieval Norfolk, until, like the proud, resourceful women of this novel, one can't help but be swallowed into one of the damp mouths of the mere. This is a gem of a novel." - Costanza Casati
"This is an artful and atmospheric novel that reveals uncomfortable truths about the way we lived then and, for the thoughtful, the way we live now." - Annie Garthwaite
"Dark, evocative and atmospheric - I loved it!" - JJA Harwood
"Danielle Giles has created a captivating world that pulls the reader in as strongly as the mere itself, and the characters feel imprinted on my mind. This is a book filled with gentle magic, gentle horror, gentle love, and I adored it from beginning to end." - Elizabeth Lee
"Chilling, dark and immersive, I raced through Mere. I loved the originality of the story and the brave and unexpected use of language. Such a treat of a novel." - Rosanna Pike
"Mere is a deftly written, stirring debut novel and a folk tale I'd yearn to hear around a campfire. Haunting and beautiful, it is a deeply affecting read that will stay with me for a long time to come. Even in Mere's brutality, there is a rare tenderness to be found." - Lucy Rose
"Atmospheric, gorgeously mystical, Danielle Giles spins the tale of Mere with poetic perfection. A beautiful story of hope in the midst of darkness and decay." - Isabelle Schuler
"A dark and disturbing tale set in an East Anglian abbey in Dark Ages England, where the old pagan Gods are meeting a fledgling Christianity. A supernatural mystery, a political power struggle, a romance, a woman bringing compassion and healing to a brutal world, and fenland ripe with stagnant secrets. Beautifully written, you will be drawn into the claustrophobic world of the mere, where sinners fear the retribution of both God and the devil." - Laura Shepherd-Robinson
"Mere is a stunning debut novel. As the old pagan world of dark magic collides with the fragile faith of a group of nuns isolated in the treacherous fenlands of Norfolk in the 10th century, the community struggle to survive. At its heart is a forbidden and passionate love story which held me captivated to the last page." - Anya Bergman
"It is rare for an author to fully recreate the strangeness of the past, but Danielle Giles has done exactly that. Through eerie, beautiful writing, she takes readers on a mystery in Medieval Norfolk, until, like the proud, resourceful women of this novel, one can't help but be swallowed into one of the damp mouths of the mere. This is a gem of a novel." - Costanza Casati
"This is an artful and atmospheric novel that reveals uncomfortable truths about the way we lived then and, for the thoughtful, the way we live now." - Annie Garthwaite
"Dark, evocative and atmospheric - I loved it!" - JJA Harwood
"Danielle Giles has created a captivating world that pulls the reader in as strongly as the mere itself, and the characters feel imprinted on my mind. This is a book filled with gentle magic, gentle horror, gentle love, and I adored it from beginning to end." - Elizabeth Lee
"Chilling, dark and immersive, I raced through Mere. I loved the originality of the story and the brave and unexpected use of language. Such a treat of a novel." - Rosanna Pike
"Mere is a deftly written, stirring debut novel and a folk tale I'd yearn to hear around a campfire. Haunting and beautiful, it is a deeply affecting read that will stay with me for a long time to come. Even in Mere's brutality, there is a rare tenderness to be found." - Lucy Rose
"Atmospheric, gorgeously mystical, Danielle Giles spins the tale of Mere with poetic perfection. A beautiful story of hope in the midst of darkness and decay." - Isabelle Schuler
"A dark and disturbing tale set in an East Anglian abbey in Dark Ages England, where the old pagan Gods are meeting a fledgling Christianity. A supernatural mystery, a political power struggle, a romance, a woman bringing compassion and healing to a brutal world, and fenland ripe with stagnant secrets. Beautifully written, you will be drawn into the claustrophobic world of the mere, where sinners fear the retribution of both God and the devil." - Laura Shepherd-Robinson
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