London, 1894. John Addington and Henry Ellis have never met, yet they share a dangerous ambition: to publish a book arguing that homosexuality—illegal and reviled—is a natural variation of love. Each man is married, each marriage unconventional, and each harbors forbidden attachments that threaten the fragile balance of their lives.
As they edge closer to publication, news breaks of Oscar Wilde’s arrest. Suddenly their project isn’t just radical, it’s perilous. To continue risks imprisonment, scandal, and the ruin of their families. To stop means betraying their ideals—and the possibility of a freer future.
Winner of the Orwell Prize and the Sunday Times Novel of the Year, Tom Crewe’s debut is a visceral, stirring portrait of love, courage, and the price of progress.
