The debut novel by the bestselling author of THE ESSEX SERPENT
One hot summer's day, John Cole decides to leave his life behind.
He shuts up the bookshop no one ever comes to and drives out of London. When his car breaks down and he becomes lost on an isolated road, he goes looking for help, and stumbles into the grounds of a grand but dilapidated house.
Its residents welcome him with open arms - but there's more to this strange community than meets the eye. They all know him by name, they've prepared a room for him, and claim to have been waiting for him all along.
Who are these people? And what do they intend for John?
Elegant, gently sinister and psychologically complex, After Me Comes the Flood is the haunting debut novel by the author of The Essex Serpent.
"'A beautiful, dream-like narrative. Rarely do debut novels come as assured and impressive as this one." - Sarah Waters
"Just occasionally you pick up a novel that is inexplicably gripping from the first page - and Perry's debut is one of them" - Sunday Times
"What makes this novel truly remarkable is its unique vision, its skilful and sophisticated characterisations, and the creation, without unseemly effects, of an atmosphere that will haunt the reader long after the final page" - John Burnside, Guardian
"An original and haunting book ... a mix of elegant, alluring, but subtly sinister characters ... a talented writer" - Daily Mail
"A dark, marvellous novel ... Perry evokes the oppressive atmosphere in precise, elegant prose ... This mesmeric quality recalls Sebald's writing, but Gothic-smudged ... It is not good for a first novel, just very good full stop. So pour yourself a cool drink and bask in a dazzling new writing talent." - Sunday Telegraph
"Perry's debut successfully creates an air of real eeriness and tension ... the real pleasure here is in her insightful and convincing depiction of family." - Glasgow Herald
"Impossible to put down" - Image Magazine
"Perry is a startlingly good writer. If she doesn't win the Booker prize one day, I'll be amazed." - Sophie Hannah
"Unsettling, thoughtful, eerie...strange and new...It's very clever and very intriguing." - Tim Pears
