The New Life

The Sunday Times Novel of the Year

London, 1894. John and Henry have a vision for a new way of life. But as the Oscar Wilde trial ignites public outcry, everything they long for could be under threat.

'Beautifully written' Graham Norton

'Subtle, sexy and beautifully crafted' Sarah Waters

'Lavishly imagined' Sunday Times

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After a lifetime spent navigating his desires, John has finally found a man who returns his feelings. Meanwhile, Henry is convinced that his new unconventional marriage will bring freedom.

United by a shared vision, they begin work on a revolutionary book arguing for the legalisation of homosexuality.

Before it can be published however, Oscar Wilde is arrested and their daring book threatens to throw them, and all around them, into danger. How high a price are they willing to pay for a new way of living?

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'A very fine new writer' Kate Atkinson

'I loved this book' Zadie Smith

'Some of the best writing on desire I've read' Douglas Stuart

'A fascinating story, so confidently told, with thoroughly real characters and agonising moral compromises. Brilliant!' Clare Chambers

'Filled with nuance and tenderness . . . charting the lives of men and women who inspired not only political progress but an entire new way of living and loving' Colm Tóibín

Winner of the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award

Shortlist, Debut Fiction, 2023 Nero Book Awards

Shortlisted for the 2024 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction