Synopsis
London, 1668. Though the streets hum with promise following the restoration of King – and order – Lucy North is trapped. She faces either working for her parents for the rest of her life, or marrying the next man willing to take her without a dowry. She must escape.
Then she meets Thomas Ashwell, a young and charming apothecary, who offers her a route out. Lucy is quick to fall in love, and when Thomas proposes she has no hesitation in accepting him.
But, on the eve of her wedding, Lucy falls and injures her head. Surrendering to the care of her concerned fiancée, Lucy's world soon starts to take on a warped, dreamlike – or nightmarish – quality. Can she really trust this man?
Details
16 April 2026320 pages
9781035051304Imprint: Mantle
Reviews
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 devilLaura Shepherd-Robinson, bestselling author of The Square of Sevens
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 novelCostanza Casati, bestselling author of Babylonia
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 novelRosanna Pike, bestselling author of A Little Trickerie
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 foundLucy Rose, bestselling author of The Lamb
