The Essex Serpent

What is lurking in Essex? There are recurring reports of a large snake-like beast swimming in the waters, perhaps even a sort of tangible evocation of man's continuing fall after Eden. In any case, this monster full of portent will not stop our heroine Cora -- a young and intrepid widow from London obsessed with fossils and scientific discoveries who lights out for a certain bucolic yet sinister environment in Essex in company of her son and a female companion of distinctly socialistic leanings. Sarah Perry has succeeded in writing a historical novel rich in emotions and ideas with echoes of both Dickens for her depiction of eccentric aristocrats or peasants and Hardy through her creation of a distinct locale in the English countryside obeying ancient and atavistic impulses. 'The Essex Serpent' will provide the reader with a stimulating and amusing look backward to a relatively recent era when the forces of science and faith were engaged in a battle with lasting consequences. Not to be missed!