A NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE NOMINEE
"An extraordinary work that will stand as blazing witness to the age
that bore it." -- Sarah Perry
A "masterpiece" (Daisy Johnson) of mortality, passion, and human
connection, set against the backdrop of a deadly global virus--from the
Booker-nominated writer
You were the last one here, before I closed the door of Burntcoat.
Before we all closed our doors . . .
In an unnamed British city, the virus is spreading, and like everyone
else, the celebrated sculptor Edith Harkness retreats inside. She
isolates herself in her immense studio, Burntcoat, with Halit, the lover
she barely knows. As life outside changes irreparably, inside Burntcoat,
Edith and Halit find themselves changed as well: by the histories and
responsibilities each carries and bears, by the fears and dangers of the
world outside, and by the progressions of their new relationship. And
Burntcoat will be transformed, too, into a new and feverish world, a
place in which Edith comes to an understanding of how we survive the
impossible--and what is left after we have.
A sharp and stunning novel of art and ambition, mortality and
connection, Burntcoat is a major work from "one of our most
influential short story writers" (The Guardian). It is an intimate
and vital examination of how and why we create--make art, form
relationships, build a life--and an urgent exploration of an
unprecedented crisis, the repercussions of which are still years in the
learning.
