The Slowworm's Song

Pure is a profound and tender tale of guilt, a search for atonement, and the hard, uncertain work of loving. Stephen Rose, an ex-soldier and recovering alcoholic, is summoned to an inquiry into an incident during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. He decides to write her an account of his life, a confession, a defense, and a love letter, but time is running out.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 03 March 2022
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

The Costa Award-winning author of Pure presents a profound and tender tale of guilt, a search for atonement, and the challenging and uncertain work of loving. The writing is nearly flawless. However, the novel's excellence extends far beyond this. You read it with your pulse racing, all your senses awake.

The Guardian praises the novel as "a beautiful, lambent, timely novel" and describes it as "a profound and tender tale of guilt, a search for atonement, and the challenging and uncertain work of loving."

Stephen Rose, an ex-soldier and recovering alcoholic living quietly in Somerset, has just begun to form a bond with his daughter he barely knows when he receives a summons to an inquiry into an incident during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. This summons brings back what Stephen had hoped to outdistance himself from: the return of the painful memories of that distant summer of 1982.

Stephen faces a difficult decision. Testifying would jeopardize the fragile relationship he has with his daughter, and if he loses her, he loses everything. Instead, he decides to write her an account of his life, a confession, a defense, a love letter, and a means of buying time. However, time is running out, and the day comes when he must face again what happened in that faraway summer of 1982.

The novel explores themes of guilt, atonement, and the complexities of human relationships. It is a beautifully written and emotionally resonant story that will leave readers pondering the power of love, forgiveness, and the human capacity for redemption.

Weight: 398g
Dimension: 144 x 222 x 31 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781529354195