"A beautiful, dream-like, unsettling narrative in which every word, like a small jewel, feels carefully chosen, considered and placed. Rarely do debut novels come as assured and impressive as this one." -Sarah Waters, New York Times bestselling author of The Paying Guests Elegant, sinister and psychologically complex, After Me Comes the Flood is the haunting debut novel by the bestselling author of The Essex Serpent and Melmoth. One hot summer's day, John Cole decides to shut his bookshop early, and possibly forever, and drives out of London to see his brother. When his car breaks down on an isolated road, he goes looking for help and finds a dilapidated house. As he approaches, a laughing woman he's never seen before walks out, addresses him by name and explains she's been waiting for him. Entering the home, John discovers an enigmatic clan of residents all of whom seem to know who he is, and also claim they have been awaiting his arrival. They seem to be waiting for something else, too-something final… Written before Sarah Perry's ascension to an internationally bestselling author, After Me Comes the Flood is a spectacular novel of obsession, conviction and providence.

"Elegant, sinister and psychologically complex, After Me Comes the Flood is the haunting debut novel by the bestselling author of The Essex Serpent"--

One hot summer's day, John Cole decides to leave his life behind. He shuts up the bookshop no one ever comes to and drives out of London. When his car breaks down and he becomes lost on an isolated road, he goes looking for help, and stumbles into the grounds of a grand but dilapidated house. Its residents welcome him with open arms - but there's more to this strange community than meets the eye. They all know him by name, they've prepared a room for him, and claim to have been waiting for him all along. As nights and days pass John finds himself drawn into a baffling menagerie. There is Hester, their matriarchal, controlling host; Alex and Claire, siblings full of child-like wonder and delusions; the mercurial Eve; Elijah - a faithless former preacher haunted by the Bible; and chain-smoking Walker, wreathed in smoke and hostility. Who are these people? And what do they intend for John?

One hot summer's day, John Cole decides to shut his bookshop early, and possibly forever, and drives out of London to see his brother. When his car breaks down on an isolated road, he goes looking for help and finds a dilapidated house. As he approaches, a laughing woman he's never seen before walks out, addresses him by name and explains she's been waiting for him. Entering the home, John discovers an enigmatic clan of residents all of whom seem to know who he is, and also claim they have been awaiting his arrival. They seem to be waiting for something else, too-- something final ...

When John Cole's car breaks down on an isolated road, he goes looking for help and finds a dilapidated house. Entering the home, John discovers an enigmatic clan of residents, all of whom seem to know who he is and claim they have been waiting for him to arrive. They seem to be waiting for something else, too-something final.

The haunting and hypnotic debut novel from the author of the bestselling The Essex Serpent.

What if you walked out of your life only to find another one was already waiting for you?

From the After Me Comes the Flood is a spectacular novel of obsession, conviction, and providence.

One hot summer's day, John Cole decides to leave his life behind. When his car breaks down on an isolated road, he goes looking for help and stumbles upon a grand but dilapidated house. Its residents claim to have been waiting for him.... There's Hester, their controlling host; Alex and Claire, siblings full of childlike wonder; the mercurial Eve; Elijah - a faithless former preacher; and chain-smoking Walker, wreathed in smoke and hostility. Who are these people? And what do they intend for John?

The debut novel by the bestselling author of THE ESSEX SERPENT One hot summer's day, John Cole decides to leave his life behind. He shuts up the bookshop no one ever comes to and drives out of London. When his car breaks down and he becomes lost on an isolated road, he goes looking for help, and stumbles into the grounds of a grand but dilapidated house. Its residents welcome him with open arms - but there's more to this strange community than meets the eye. They all know him by name, they've prepared a room for him, and claim to have been waiting for him all along. Who are these people? And what do they intend for John? Elegant, gently sinister and psychologically complex, After Me Comes the Flood is the haunting debut novel by the author of The Essex Serpent.

-- New York Times After Me Comes the Flood is a spectacular novel of obsession, conviction and providence. After Me Comes the Flood is a haunting and elegant gothic thriller, perfect for fans of psychological suspense books.With a closed bookshop owner and an enigmatic clan of residents, this novel will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.HarperCollins 2024.

The economy has never been so relevant to so many people as it is now, and it's vital that we understand how it affects our lives. 'There's no such thing as a free lunch' is the one phrase everyone has heard from economics - not even for bankers. But why not? What does economics tell us about the price of lunch - and everything else? Free Lunch makes the economics pages of the newspaper intelligible and addresses the concerns that worry us all. It will enable you to understand - and challenge - the claims made by politicians Set out like a good lunch-time conversation, the book will guide you through the mysteries of the economy. Your guides will be some of the greatest names in the field, including Smith, Marx and Keynes. This clever and witty introduction to economics costs less than even the cheapest meal. It is essential reading in these times of economic uncertainty, and is far more satisfying than even the most gourmet banquet.

One hot summer's day, John Cole decides to walk out of his life. He shuts up the bookshop that no one ever comes into and drives out of London, but soon he is lost, and then his car breaks down on an isolated rural road. Looking for help he stumbles into the grounds of a grand but dilapidated house, whose residents welcome him in with open arms. But there is more than meets the eye to this strange community. His new hosts all know him by name and have even prepared a room for him. They claim to have been waiting for him all along. Frightened but fascinated, John decides not to correct their mistake - if that's what it was - and remains in the house. Nights and days pass and John finds himself drawn into a baffling menagerie. There is Hester, the matriarchal but faintly malevolent landlady; Alex and Claire, fair-haired siblings full of child-like wonder and worrying delusions; the mercurially beautiful Eve; Elijah - a faithless former preacher still haunted by the bible; and chain-smoking Walker, wreathed in smoke and hostility. Who are these people? And who do they think John is? As the intensely hot days pass their stories unfold to John, and he unfolds himself to us, until everything crescendoes with an apocalyptic storm, breaking not just the weather but also the fragile sanctuary they've constructed.

Der lang erwartete Debütroman von Sarah Perry, Autorin des Bestsellers DIE SCHLANGE VON ESSEX An einem heißen Sommertag beschließt John Cole sein Leben hinter sich zu lassen. Er sperrt seinen Buchladen zu, den nie jemand besuchte, und verlässt London. Nach einer Autopanne sucht er Hilfe, verirrt sich und gelangt zu einem herrschaftlichen, aber heruntergekommenen Anwesen. Dessen Bewohner empfangen ihn mit offenen Armen - aber hinter der seltsamen Wohngemeinschaft steckt ein Geheimnis. Sie alle kennen seinen Namen, haben ein Zimmer für ihn vorbereitet und beteuern, schon die ganze Zeit auf ihn gewartet zu haben. Wer sind diese Menschen? Und was haben sie mit John vor? NACH MIR DIE FLUT ist der eindringliche Debütroman von Sarah Perry. Betörend schön, unheimlich und psychologisch raffiniert. Ein elegant-düsteres Kammerspiel "Sarah Perry schafft eine Atmosphäre, die den Leser noch lange nach der letzten Seite im Bann hält." John Burnside "Eine wunderbare, traumähnliche Erzählung. Selten begegnen uns solch eindrucksvolle Debütromane." Sarah Waters "Nur selten greift man zu einem Roman, der einen von der ersten Seite an in den Bann schlägt. Perrys Debüt ist einer dieser Romane." Phil Barker, SUNDAY TIMES "Die kunstvollen und komplexen Charaktere machen diesen Roman wirklich außergewöhnlich." John Burnside, GUARDIAN "Ein dunkler, erstaunlicher Roman, der an W. G. Sebald mit einem Schuss Gothic erinnert." Catherine Blyth, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH