The Given World

‘A state-of-the-countryside novel . rich in detail but vast in scope’ FINANCIAL TIMES
‘A stunning tale of rural life . Harrison earns a nod to George Eliot’ ALEXANDRA HARRIS, GUARDIAN
‘Extraordinary . Harrison is a nonpareil describer of the natural world’ INDIA KNIGHT
‘Wonderful . an Under Milk Wood for the twenty-first century’ AMY LIPTROT
‘Extraordinary . The best serious fiction I’ve read this year’ FRANCIS SPUFFORD

A FINANCIAL TIMES AND OBSERVER BOOK TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2026
A TIMES BOOK OF THE SUMMER 2026

April brings spring surging with it, giving rise, among many in the village, to a comforting illusion that all is somehow still right with the world, and that nothing will ever change.

In the ancient Welm Valley, something is shifting: the river is behaving oddly, while the arrival of spring, with its f