'It is a gift in this life that we do not know what awaits us'

In March 2020 Lucy's ex-husband William pleads with her to leave New York and escape to a coastal house he has rented in Maine. Lucy reluctantly agrees, leaving the washing-up in the sink, expecting to be back in a week or two. Weeks turn into months, and it's just Lucy, William, and their complex past together in a little house nestled against the sea.

Rich with empathy and a searing clarity, Lucy by the Sea evokes the fragility and uncertainty of the recent past, as well as the possibilities that those long, quiet days can inspire. At the heart of this miraculous novel are the deep human connections that sustain us, even as the world seems to be falling apart.

'A superbly gifted storyteller and a craftswoman in a league of her own' Hilary Mantel

'I cannot get Lucy Barton out of my head' The Times

'A terrific writer' Zadie Smith

'Poised and moving . . . a slim, beautifully controlled book that bursts with emotion' Vogue

'She gets better with each book' Maggie O'Farrell