by Sarah Hall
First published 2022
Edith Harkness retreats to her studio Burntcoat as a virus spreads through her unnamed British city. The celebrated sculptor brings Halit, a lover she has just met, into her sanctuary. They lock themselves away from the changing world outside. Inside the vast studio space, Edith and Halit navigate their new relationship while the crisis deepens around them. Each carries personal histories and fears that surface in isolation. Edith continues creating art as her familiar world dissolves. The studio becomes a fevered refuge where two people discover what connects them. Edith learns how humans endure catastrophe and what remains when everything familiar disappears. The virus reshapes not just society but how Edith understands her art, her relationships, and her mortality.
Genres: fiction, art, contemporary, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, intimate
Setting: Britain
Period: contemporary
240 pages · Paperback · Mariner Books
Content warnings: anxiety, depression, mental-illness