The Leviathan: A beguiling tale of superstition, myth and murder from a major new voice in historical fiction

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Following the deaths of her mother, her father and her grandmother in Trinidad, Lloyd Banwo moved to the UK five years ago and lives in Battersea, south London. Going into this book I thought it was going to be a story of witch trials and the hysteria surrounding those events in the 17th century. ROSIE: Isolation – even today Norfolk has no motorways, making it a perfect place to situate a gothic story that relies on characters feeling vulnerable (and on a pragmatic note, being able to engage in all sorts of subterfuge). I would say Elizabeth Zott is a rational person who exists in an irrational society – that’s why she doesn’t fit in, that’s what makes her so interesting, and that’s why we need her more than ever, because our society has become more and more irrational. Ayanna Lloyd Banwo, 41, emerged from the University of East Anglia’s MA in creative writing with a manuscript for When We Were Birds, her masterly debut novel.

The Leviathan | Rosie Andrews | 9781526637369 | NetGalley The Leviathan | Rosie Andrews | 9781526637369 | NetGalley

And whilst it certainly starts out this way, I wasn't prepared for the twists this story took and I was blown away by the way in which the author created such an incredible world and atmosphere, the writing style was so easy to read that I devoured the book in less than a day.The twists and turns (which are masterfully constructed) step neatly from the narrative, and as soon as you realise that the typical witchfinder story is to be turned on its head you know you’re in a for a stunning ride! Soldier, Thomas Treadwater, arrives home, drawn back by a worrying letter sent by his sister, accusing the new servant of immoral and improper conduct. With civil war tearing England apart, reluctant soldier Thomas Treadwater is summoned home by his sister, who accuses a new servant of improper conduct with their widowed father. I also enjoyed studying Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes and it provided some of the inspiration for the story, so I wanted to allude to that. On arriving home at the farmhouse, there is the scary and intensely unsettling sight of dead sheep, with no apparent cause of death.

The Leviathan by Rosie Andrews - 9781526637345 - Dymocks The Leviathan by Rosie Andrews - 9781526637345 - Dymocks

Overall an engrossing atmospheric gothic read that I would highly recommend to fans of historical/supernatural fiction with a huge twist of fantasy and horror. Brilliantly written with great characterisation dark and Gothic ,I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this Author . A great mystery unravels before Thomas and he must try to figure out what has happened and whether it is superstition or a more sinister force at play. Despite having announced she was going to be a novelist when she was just five, Garmus makes her debut aged 64, and is thrilled to be proof that it’s never too late. I love the past for its own sake, but we’re also living through some of the most chaotic political and social times we might remember, and you can’t help but think about those resonances.In Silhouette went on to be shortlisted for the Sunday Times short story award and became part of her 2021 collection, The End of the World Is a Cul de Sac, sold to Bloomsbury together with Trespasses after a nine-way auction.

The Leviathan by Rosie Andrews review – a potent brew of

But as he begins to unravels the mystery of what has happened to his family, he uncovers a tale, not of witchcraft, but of something dark and ancient, linked to a shipwreck many years before. Thomas must uncover the mystery of the horrors that unfurl before him, and live with the consequence of his actions. The characters are all richly developed and the level of detail given by Andrews just adds to the richness of the story. Set across two timelines, the 1643 troubles Thomas faces and a flash-forward to his later life in 1703, the author builds an unnerving and suspenseful historical mystery. Ahead of the publication of At Certain Points We Touch, Lauren John Joseph, 39, has been hailed by one critic as “a shocking new talent” and their book as “a stone-cold masterpiece”.

In the second timeline, it's 50 years later and we follow the aftermath and conclusion of an event from the past involving family secrets and an ancient shipwreck from years ago.