The Western Wind

The Western Wind is a riveting story of faith, guilt, and the freedom of confession. It's 1491. In the small village of Oakham, its wealthiest and most industrious resident, Tom Newman, is swept away by the river during the early hours of Shrove Saturday. Was it murder, suicide, or an accident? Narrated from the perspective of local priest John Reve--patient shepherd to his wayward flock--a shadowy portrait of the community comes to light through its residents' tortured revelations. As some of their darkest secrets are revealed, the intrigue of the unexplained deathripples through the congregation. But will Reve, a man with secrets of his own, discover what happened to Newman? And what will happen if he can't?

Prize history

• Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction

  2019

  Shortlist