‘A church is a sort of wood. A wood is a sort of church. They’re the same thing really.’
Nineteen-year-old Merowdis Scott is an unusual girl. She can talk to animals and trees – and she is only ever happy when she is walking in the woods.
One snowy afternoon, out with her dogs and Apple the pig, Merowdis encounters a blackbird and a fox. As darkness falls, a strange figure enters in their midst – and the path of her life is changed forever.
A very short, illustrated novella by the author of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell that packs a big punch in its small package. Would make an ideal Christmas gift for a book collector who like folklore, mythology.
Merowdis is no ordinary girl. For her, nature and the woods are her church, the place where she finds freedom and connection to the things that are important to her. She talks to the animals and trees and they understand her in a way that her human companions do not. Until the day she encounters a new and enthralling figure in the woods who offers her a new path to explore…
This is a book about finding spirituality in whatever way and place that makes sense to you. A folkloric tale filled with wonder and a hint of darkness that could be enjoyed by both children and adults alike, with beautiful illustrations by Victoria Sawdon. Exactly the kind of unusual and dreamlike story you would expect from this author.
Just be aware that this book is extremely short and some people may feel that the price is a little on the high side for such a brief book.
The Wood at Midwinter is out now and you can buy a copy here.
About the Author
Susanna Clarke’s debut novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell was first published in more than 34 countries and was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award and the Guardian First Book Award. It won British Book Awards Newcomer of the Year, the Hugo Award and the World Fantasy Award in 2005. The Ladies of Grace Adieu, a collection of short stories, some set in the world of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, was published by Bloomsbury in 2006. Piranesi was a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller, and shortlisted for the Costa Novel of the Year Award, the RSL Encore Award and the Women’s Prize for Fiction. Susanna Clarke lives in Derbyshire.
Connect with Susanna:
Twitter: @sussannaclarke_
Instagram: @susannaclarke_
