The Giant, O'Brien

by Hilary Mantel

First published 1998

In 1782 London, the Giant O'Brien, a towering Irishman, arrives to exhibit his size for money. But his true aim is to preserve the old myths and stories of his homeland before his inevitable death. Pitted against him is the famed anatomist John Hunter, who lusts after the Giant's corpse as a medical curiosity. As the two men face off, the Giant must confront his mortality and the erosion of the old ways in the face of an encroaching scientific age.

Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, historical, historical-fiction

Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking

Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, man-vs-society

Setting: England, Ireland, London

Period: 1782

296 pages · Hardcover · Thorndike Pr

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