Rustication A Novel

Charles Palliser’s work has been hailed as “so compulsively absorbing that reality disappears” (New York Times). Since his extraordinary debut, The Quincunx, his works have sold over one million copies worldwide. With his new novel, Rustication, he returns to the town of Thurchester, which he evoked so hauntingly in The Unburied.

It is winter 1863, and Richard Shenstone, aged seventeen, has been sent down—“rusticated”—from Cambridge under a cloud of suspicion. Addicted to opium and tormented by sexual desire, he finds temporary refuge in a dilapidated old mansion on the southern English coast inhabited by his newly impoverished mother and his sister, Effie. Soon, graphic and threatening letters begin to circulate among his neighbors, and Richard finds himself the leading suspect in a series of crimes and misdemeanors ranging from vivisection to murder.

Atmospheric, lurid, and brilliantly executed, Rustication confirms Palliser’s reputation as “our leading contemporary Victorian novelist” (Guardian).

" is an ingenious take on the traditional Victorian Gothic novel, daring us to unravel the dark and twisting tale of a murder that hasn't happened yet. The gripping voice and masterful plotting swirl together in a relentless undertow of gothic intrigue and dread that's impossible to resist. Not that you'll want to. This is a brilliant read." Kieran Shields, author of The Truth of All Things

"Charles Palliser is one of our finest writers and a new novel from him is always cause to celebrate. is a book for lovers of mystery and suspense, for those who enjoy reading between the lines of the text. Palliser turns the reader into a detective as the story unfolds: who is writing these vicious letters? And what is their purpose? How much can we trust the narrator's account of events? This is an extremely clever novel in which not only is there a mystery in the invented nineteenth century world of the story but also a mystery about the nature of the text the reader is reading. Here is a book to satisfy fans of Wilkie Collins and Vladimir Nabokov." Jane Harris, author of The Observations

"A wonderful, sly, compelling tale of mischief, greed, and malice. [Palliser's] narrator, Richard Shenstone, is so marvelously and credibly naïve that I couldn't stop turning the pages, hoping he would recognize before it was too late that what he doesn't know could well be the death of him." Valerie Martin, author of Property

"Charles Palliser is a wonderful novelist, and is a wonderful novel." Iain Pears, author of An Instance of the Fingerpost

"Will appeal to fans of John Harwood and Michael Cox. Palliser vividly captures the claustrophobic feeling of a small Victorian community being overwhelmed by anxiety and mistrust, and fans of twisty plots will enjoy guessing at the town's many secrets as they sift through the rumors and gossip offered up by a well-drawn cast of darkly quirky characters." Library Journal

"A wickedly entertaining, intricately plotted read." Publishers Weekly

"Palliser's hold on his narrative is enough to turn it into an exercise in pure form. As in a superior detective novel, character, scene and incidental detail fade away and all that remains is the thrill of the chase." D.J. Taylor

A vertiginous gothic masterpiece from the best-selling author of The Quincunx.

Endlessly fascinating one of the strongest novels of the year. -School Library Journal Readers will have as much grisly fun just sorting out the facts as they will solving the mysteries. The Daily Beast A vertiginous gothic masterpiece from the best-selling author ofThe Quincunx. "

"Endlessly fascinating...one of the strongest novels of the year. " - School Library Journal
"Readers will have as much grisly fun just sorting out the facts as they will solving the mysteries." -The Daily Beast
A vertiginous gothic masterpiece from the best-selling author of The Quincunx.

Christmas, 1863. Richard Shenstone, aged seventeen, has been sent down from Cambridge under a cloud of suspicion. Addicted to opium and tormented by disturbing sexual desires, he finds temporary refuge in the creaking old mansion inhabited by his newly impoverished mother and his sister, Effie, whose behavior grows increasingly bizarre. Soon, graphic and threatening letters begin to circulate among the local populace, where no one is quite who he seems and almost anyone can be considered a suspect in a series of crimes and misdemeanors ranging from vivisection to . . . murder. Fans of Charles Palliser’s beloved The Quincunx and The Unburied—as well as readers of Sarah Waters and Michel Faber—will delight in this, the author’s first new novel in more than ten years. Hailed for fiction that is “mesmerizing, meticulous” (Entertainment Weekly), Palliser confirms his reputation as “our leading contemporary Victorian novelist” (Guardian).

One of the Best Books of the Year by "Endlessly fascinating...one of the strongest novels of the year. " - "Readers will have as much grisly fun just sorting out the facts as they will solving the mysteries." - A vertiginous gothic masterpiece from the best-selling author of .

Charles Palliser's work has been hailed as "so compulsively absorbing that reality disappears" (). Since his extraordinary debut, , his works have sold over one million copies worldwide. With his new novel, , he returns to the town of Thurchester, which he evoked so hauntingly in .

Charle Palliser was born in Massachusetts, but has lived in the UK since the age of three. A graduate of Oxford University, he writes full time in London.