Synopsis
‘Gentle Things is a daring and devouring gothic gem of a novel’ – Lucy Rose, bestselling author of The Lamb
The plague has passed, the fire has cooled, and Lucy North is in desperate need of a husband . . . From the acclaimed author of Mere comes a thrilling new tale of medicine, marriage and madness set in seventeenth-century London.
London, 1668. Though the streets hum with promise following the restoration of the crown, Lucy North is trapped. Her father’s recent death has left her mother saddled with debts she cannot pay. Lucy must marry the first man willing to take her without a dowry.
So when she meets Thomas Ashwell, a young and charming apothecary, Lucy quickly identifies an attractive route out. She falls in love easily, and when Thomas proposes she believes her future is finally secured.
But when Lucy falls and injures her head during their wedding party, things start to warp. Confined to her bedroom her dreams refuse to leave her at daybreak, and the voice in her head no longer sounds like her own. As Thomas plies her with tinctures and cures, a creeping fear takes root: Has this marriage saved her? Or will it bring about her end?
‘One of the best things I’ve read in ages’ – Liam Higginson, author of The Hill in the Dark Grove
‘A stunning fever dream of a book . . . one of my favourite books of 2026 so far’ – Cathryn Kemp, author of A Poisoner’s Tale
Details
Reviews
“Gentle Things is a radiant historical novel filled with longing and madness. Beautifully drawn, it’s a tense descent into madness until the final page. A daring and devouring gothic gem of a novel”Lucy Rose, bestselling author of The Lamb
“Meticulously researched, tightly plotted, and beautifully written: Gentle Things starts as the gentlest of possessions but will soon haunt you incessantly. I, for one, couldn't get enough, and will gladly allow this rare novel to live within my skull for years to come”Johanna van Veen, author of Blood on Her Tongue
“A sophomore novel that you won't be able to put down, Gentle Things combines a heady story of desire with stomach-turning twists and a strong dose of Gothic horror. Danielle Giles writes with a deliciously immersive historical voice that pulls you deep into this compelling tale of medicine and madness”Carmella Lowkis, author of Spitting gold
“A dark and disturbing tale . . . beautifully written, you will be drawn into the claustrophobic world of the mere, where sinners fear the retribution of both God and the devil”Laura Shepherd-Robinson, bestselling author of The Square of Sevens, on Mere
