M. John Harrison The Course of the Heart

The cult classic novel from the 2026 Booker-longlisted author of The End of Everything With an introduction by bestselling author of Our Wives Under the Sea, Julia Armfield 'A more grown-up version of The Secret History' LUCY SCHOLES 'A groundbreaking work' GUARDIAN 'The best literary fiction out now' DAILY MAIL 'Gloriously intelligent and beautifully written' INDEPENDENT On a hot May night, three Cambridge students carry out a ritualistic act that changes their lives. Decades later, none of the participants can remember what transpired; but their clouded memories bind them together. Unable to move on, Pam Stuyvesant has epilepsy and is plagued by sensual visions. Her husband Lucas believes that a dwarfish creature is stalking him, and invents histories to soothe Pam's fears. Self-styled Sorcerer Yaxley becomes obsessed with a terrifyingly transcendent reality. The narrator is seemingly the least effected participant in the ritual: he is haunted by the smell of roses, and his guilt as he attempts to help his friends escape the torment that has engulfed their lives. Strange, dreamlike and moving, The Course of the Heart is an examination of the edges of humanity where we lie, hide, hurt and heal. 'A spare textual elegance and closure-denying restraint that impresses and fulfils' IAIN BANKS