THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLEROverall Book of the Year and Fiction
Book of the Year at the British Book Awards 2017 (Nibbies)Longlisted for
the 2017 Baileys Women's Prize for FictionThe Waterstones Book of the Year
2016Shortlisted for the 2016 Costa Novel AwardLondon, 1893. When Cora
Seaborne's controlling husband dies, she steps into her new life as a widow
with as much relief as sadness. Along with her son Francis - a curious,
obsessive boy - she leaves town for Essex, in the hope that fresh air and
open space will provide refuge. On arrival, rumours reach them that the
mythical Essex Serpent, once said to roam the marshes claiming lives, has
returned to the coastal parish of Aldwinter. Cora, a keen amateur
naturalist with no patience for superstition, is enthralled, convinced that
what the local people think is a magical beast may be a yet-undiscovered
species. As she sets out on its trail, she is introduced to William
Ransome, Aldwinter's vicar, who is also deeply suspicious of the rumours,
but thinks they are a distraction from true faith. As he tries to calm his
parishioners, Will and Cora strike up an intense relationship, and although
they agree on absolutely nothing, they find themselves at once drawn
together and torn apart, affecting each other in ways that surprise them
both.The Essex Serpent is a celebration of love, and the many different
shapes it can take.