The Realm of Shells

Set in fashionable Margate in 1835, this novel follows the schemes, betrayals, and disappointments of the respectable Newlove family from the perspective of its youngest member, Frances. The discovery of an underground realm of shells heralds the uncovering of some unpleasant family truths—and the dark, stark realities of the adult world. Set against the upheavals of 1830s England—the end of the war with France and the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution—this is a bewitching portrait of a family and a country on the brink of irrevocable change.