Description

‘Unsettling and strange, Sea Change, cements Nathan’s reputation as one of our most interesting historical novelists.’ The Times

AS HEARD ON BBC RADIO 4

‘I’ll be back soon, my love. Tonight, I hope.’

The last Eve saw of her mother was a wave from the basket of a rising balloon. A wilful, lonely orphan in the house of her erratic artist guardian, Eve struggles to retain the image of her missing mother and the father she never knew. In a London beset by pageantry, incipient riot and the fear of Napoleonic invasion, Eve must grow into a young woman with no one to guide her through its perils.

Far away, in a Norfolk fishing village, the Rev Snead preaches hellfire and damnation to his impoverished parishioners and oppressed wife. Snead illustrates his sermons with the example of a mute woman pulled from the sea, over whom he keeps a very close watch indeed.

Publisher Review

A strange, touching tale of hope and redemption -- Nick Rennison * Sunday Times Best Historical Fiction * Vivid and original * Daily Mail * A compelling story about loss of identity, the impact of trauma, and the way back from it ... that rare kind of historical fiction that both captures the period well and creates an absorbing narrative. -- Charles Palliser, author of Rustication A vivid portrait of loss and love, teeming with detail at the same time as it moves the reader profoundly. -- Rachel Halliburton, author of The Optickal Illusion Praise for Alix Nathan: 'She is an original, with a virtuoso touch.' -- Hilary Mantel