The Wake is here! (again)
Ask me anything, and win a signed copy
Today’s the day. For only the second time in all human history, my novel The Wake is published.
Regular readers may know that this book - my debut novel - was first published in 2014. Recently, alas, the publisher went out of business, but my story has found a new home. John Murray are re-publishing The Wake today in a new edition, as part of their ‘classics’ range, with an introduction by my friend Mark Rylance, the Oscar-winning actor.
And so Buccmaster of Holland, the novel’s anti-hero, is released back into the world, to cause what mayhem he can. I am fond of old Bucc in a way, though perhaps ‘fond’ is the wrong word. ‘Enthralled’ might be better. Or perhaps ‘appalled.’ Whatever words you use, you can’t look away from the man.
The book can be bought all over the place from today. This web page will give you lots of buying options. Or you can buy it at an actual shop in the real world, which I always encourage.
To celebrate the relaunch of the novel, I’m instituting my very first ‘Ask Me Anything’ session here at the Abbey of Misrule. To be more specific: ‘Ask Me Anything about The Wake.’ If you have a question about anything at all related to the novel, please post it below. I will select my favourites and answer them in a separate post very soon.
To get you all started, I’m offering a signed copy of The Wake to the person who asks the most interesting question. I am the judge and jury for this competition, and there are no appeals, but I’m hoping it will be hard to choose from the myriad of interesting ones you’re about to ask me. I have a strong faith in the interestingness of my readers.
So, if you’d like to win a book, or just ask me something about the novel, please fire away below. Or if you’d just like to quietly buy it, please don’t let me stand in your way …
Good cheer to all my readers.
Paul
There are some excellent questions here, folks. Keep 'em coming!
Hi Paul, so delighted you’re inviting questions as I’ve just finished reading The Wake! Love to know the following: your characterise Christ as the ingenga god who has no luf for the land, which makes it all the more remarkable that your recent work on saints and holy wells explores a Christianity that is rooted in England, even indigenous (if I can describe it that way) to it. How on earth did you go from one perspective to the other? When you think back to your portrayal of and perspective about Christ/the church in The Wake, what has changed, and what has stayed the same? Is there a story on what role writing the novel played in your conversion to Orthodox Christianity? Ok that’s three questions but I am curious! Thank you