The novel takes place in the 15th century when medieval England was rife with religion and superstition and the sinful were in danger of being “strapped” to a pyre.
It is set in Oakham, a poor village in Somerset where the river flows wide but there’s no bridge to cross it.
The body of well-to-do merchant Thomas Newman is found in the water and an explanation must be found for his death – accident, murder or suicide?
Village priest John Reve is privy to all the secrets of the confessional and he must decide what to do for the souls of his congregation, dead or alive.
His task is made all the more difficult by the arrival of the officious dean who wants the matter cleared up urgently.
This mysterious, ominous novel begins at the end of the story with the discovery of the body.
It beautifully works its way back to the start, sparking and flickering with the jealousies, affairs, conflicts and desires of the villagers, who are brilliantly described as they go about their days.
At the heart of this tinderbox is naive, clever, often-foolish Reve, who is as fallible as his parishioners but attempting to make the best of a situation that is becoming increasingly fraught and fractious.
Samantha Harvey’s prose is luminous, a wonderfully lyrical look at the way religious belief and pragmatism battle it out in the heart of a good man.