A Last Judgement and a Mystic Fen: Wakenhyrst

Michelle Paver's 2019 novel, set in Suffolk fenland, explores medieval superstition and patriarchal religion. To daughter, Maud, struggling for freedom, the fen is about inspiration and release. To father Edmund it is the home of a demon who seeks to punish him for a long-forgotten sin. Woven through the story is local folklore about exorcism and the entrapment of evil. The novel updates a number of themes common to the Edwardian ghost story, breathing new life into the genre.