Enlightenment

A genre-bending novel of ideas, ghosts and hidden histories... A heartfelt paean to the consolations of the sublime, where religion and science meet * Telegraph *
Once again Sarah Perry has gifted us with an ambitious story impeccably imagined in poignant prose; a beautifully nuanced novel of love in all its aspects, artfully marrying faith and science into something truly beguiling -- Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of Pandora
Sarah Perry just gets better and better…[this is] a fat, satisfying, grown-up novel – rich in plot, characters, ideas, structure, and atmosphere…[it] hangs together as a resplendent whole, shining like a night sky -- Holly Williams * i news *
A book about grace, written with a faith in awe and in elemental love, Enlightenment is full of both ordinary and extraordinary wonders. Sarah Perry has brought all her wide empathy and joy to this novel: its characters are rich and vivid and tenderly human.Enlightenment is not only a book that seems to redeem its world, but to redeem its readers. It is a gift -- Seán Hewitt, author of All Down Darkness Wide
Enlightenment is gauzy and unhurried, a genteel novel of inner space. It’s luxuriously – defiantly – old-fashioned -- Beejay Silcox * Guardian *
No novel is ever perfect, but this one comes close. Read it, then read it again. This is a book full of unexpected wonders -- John Burnside * Literary Review *
A rich, surprising book that dazzles and dizzies the reader. It balances reason with belief, excels in both ideas and action, and, though firmly placed in Perry’s homeland of Essex, it’s a book with cosmic reach -- John Self * Financial Times *
Attuned to the fragile intimacies between lovers and friends, and acutely aware of the devastating cruelties that are routinely meted out between strangers, Enlightenment is a mesmerizing work of wondering and wonder. Filled with quiet epiphanies into the intricacies of the human condition filtered through the lens of science and religion, this is a profound and moving novel that invites the reader to regard the world around them with a more compassionate gaze -- Mary Jean Chan, author of Flèche
Gorgeous, galvanic, omniscient, intimate and eminently giving, Enlightenment is a novel to live with and learn by. As I read it, I felt housed by it. And, damn, did the house have skylights. Sarah Perry is a national treasure, and this is her best book yet -- Caoilinn Hughes, author of Orchid and the Wasp
Sarah Perry has the rare gift of committing the uncommittable to prose - that is to say: here is a writer who understands life -- Jessie Burton, author of The Miniaturist