In a "Gothic stunner" a ghost roams through history in "a scary novel that chills to the bone even as it points the way to a warmer, more humane, place" (New York Times Book Review).
From the internationally bestselling author of The Essex Serpent, now an Apple TV+ Series starring Claire Danes
It has been years since Helen Franklin left England. In Prague, working as a translator, she has found a sanctuary. That changes when her friend Karel discovers a mysterious letter that speaks of Melmoth the Witness, who hunts her prey through the ages, dooming those she captures to timeless, itinerant solitude. To Helen it all seems the stuff of unenlightened fantasy. But then Karel disappears . . .
Spanning continents and centuries, Sarah Perry's breathtaking novel is a masterpiece of suspense as well as a profound investigation of the eternal nature of love and compassion.
"Masterful . . . scary and smart, working as a horror story but also a philosophical inquiry into the nature of will and love. . . . complex . . . and . . . rewarding." —The Washington Post
"A master of atmosphere." —Wall Street Journal
"Fierce [and] full-hearted." —NPR Book of the Year
"A gothic masterwork." -Entertainment Weekly
"Perry is changing what a modern-day ghost story can look like. . . . A chilling novel ." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"This fever dream of a novel will prove as compelling and all-consuming as TheEssex Serpent. — Library Journal, starred review
"Rich in gothic tropes and sinister atmosphere. . . . Perry's heartbreaking, horrifying monster confronts the characters not just with the uncanny but also with the human." — Publishers Weekly, starred review
Genre: Historical
From the internationally bestselling author of The Essex Serpent, now an Apple TV+ Series starring Claire Danes
It has been years since Helen Franklin left England. In Prague, working as a translator, she has found a sanctuary. That changes when her friend Karel discovers a mysterious letter that speaks of Melmoth the Witness, who hunts her prey through the ages, dooming those she captures to timeless, itinerant solitude. To Helen it all seems the stuff of unenlightened fantasy. But then Karel disappears . . .
Spanning continents and centuries, Sarah Perry's breathtaking novel is a masterpiece of suspense as well as a profound investigation of the eternal nature of love and compassion.
"Masterful . . . scary and smart, working as a horror story but also a philosophical inquiry into the nature of will and love. . . . complex . . . and . . . rewarding." —The Washington Post
"A master of atmosphere." —Wall Street Journal
"Fierce [and] full-hearted." —NPR Book of the Year
"A gothic masterwork." -Entertainment Weekly
"Perry is changing what a modern-day ghost story can look like. . . . A chilling novel ." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"This fever dream of a novel will prove as compelling and all-consuming as TheEssex Serpent. — Library Journal, starred review
"Rich in gothic tropes and sinister atmosphere. . . . Perry's heartbreaking, horrifying monster confronts the characters not just with the uncanny but also with the human." — Publishers Weekly, starred review
Genre: Historical
Praise for this book
"Mythic, ominous and sensitively human, Melmoth is haunting in all the best ways... including the disquieting ones." - Frances Hardinge
"Richly atmospheric, daring and surprising, Melmoth seals Sarah Perry's place as chief architect of literature's gothic revival." - Melissa Harrison
"Sarah Perry is a wonderful writer, the real thing. Her new novel Melmoth packs a punch of atmosphere, creepiness, fear and melancholy. I am going to move it off my bedside table because it is haunting my sleep." - Susan Hill
"This is a beautiful, devastating, brilliant book. It affected me so much I was shaking after I read it. The exquisite, immersive writing compelled me to keep reading even through the horrors described." - Marian Keyes
"Astonishingly dark, rich storytelling, exquisitely balanced between gothic shocks and emotional truth." - Francis Spufford
"Richly atmospheric, daring and surprising, Melmoth seals Sarah Perry's place as chief architect of literature's gothic revival." - Melissa Harrison
"Sarah Perry is a wonderful writer, the real thing. Her new novel Melmoth packs a punch of atmosphere, creepiness, fear and melancholy. I am going to move it off my bedside table because it is haunting my sleep." - Susan Hill
"This is a beautiful, devastating, brilliant book. It affected me so much I was shaking after I read it. The exquisite, immersive writing compelled me to keep reading even through the horrors described." - Marian Keyes
"Astonishingly dark, rich storytelling, exquisitely balanced between gothic shocks and emotional truth." - Francis Spufford
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