The Repentants

‘Nothing short of a masterpiece’ – Janice Hallett, author of the Appeal

Her scandal. His revenge. The unforgettable historical novel about how society judges women - and how those women survive. From award-winning author of The Maiden, Kate Foster.

St Monans, Fife, 1790. Two women are forced to publicly repent in church: one for adultery, the other for breaching the sabbath.

Wealthy housewife Florrie and salt serf Eliza form a quick and unusual bond over their mutual humiliation. As Florrie and her husband prepare to travel to Iceland, she insists Eliza comes as her maid.

Then Florrie's husband reveals his sinister plan: he will leave her in Iceland, banished for the shame she has cast upon him.

Far from home, isolated and fearful, the two women have no one but each other to rely on. Then Florrie’s husband reveals his sinister plan: he will leave her in Iceland, banished for the shame she has cast upon him. Florrie must escape, but she and Eliza realize they cannot do this alone . . .

'A deliciously twisty tale, with a decidedly feminist slant' - Daily Mail

'Intelligent, atmospheric 18th-century domestic noir' - The Guardian

Inspired by an attempt by Scottish merchants to annex Iceland as a remote prison for the British Empire, The Repentants is a chilling tale of betrayal, exile and survival from the Women’s Prize-longlisted author of The Maiden, Kate Foster.