First published 1964
The ailing Dean of Salisbury Cathedral is consumed by his vision to build a soaring spire, despite the builder's warnings. As construction progresses, the project's monumental challenges mirror the Dean's own mental decline. With each precarious brick and beam, his once-lofty ambitions cast an ever-darkening shadow over the world below.
Genres: fiction, drama, literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, architecture
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, thought-provoking
Tropes: downfall, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Salisbury (England)
224 pages · Paperback · Penguin Classics
Content warnings: mental-illness