The author of the prize-winning, hugely acclaimed Ingenious Pain returns to the 18th century with an enthralling tale set in pre-revolutionary Paris.
Following the judging, Geordie Greig, chair of the final judges, said: “Pure is a rich and evocative historical novel which engrosses with its vivid portrait of pre-revolutionary France. The qualities of Pure stood out for its memorable gothic tale of morality and mortality.” Greig chaired a final judging panel that included actor and comedian Hugh Dennis, actress Dervla Kirwan, broadcaster Mary Nightingale, novelist Patrick Gale, author Jojo Moyes, historical biographer Flora Fraser, author William Fiennes and children’s writer, Eleanor Updale.
The clearing of a cemetery stokes the fires of revolution in eighteenth-century France in this Costa Prizewinning ';novel of ideas disguised as a ghost story' (The New York Times). Paris, 1785. An ambitious young engineer, Jean-Baptiste Baratte arrives in Paris charged with emptying the overflowing cemetery ofLes Innocents, an ancient site whose stench is poisoning the neighborhood's air and water. A self-styled modern man of reason, Baratte sees his work as a chance to clear away the burden of history. But he soon suspects that the destruction of the cemetery might be a prelude to his own fateand the demise of the social order. As unrest against the court of Louis XVI mounts, the engineer realizes that the future he had planned may no longer be the one he wants. His assignment sets him on a path of discovery and desire, as well as relentless labor, assault, and sudden death. ';Pure is a compelling, timely novelwith its throb of revolution, of ordinary people arising in angera narrative that takes death as its subject yet races with life.' The Guardian
