In the absence of death, true darkness emerges.
After KATE MAYFIELD was born she was taken directly to a funeral home. Her father, an undertaker, set up shop in a small town in southern Kentucky where the family resided in his funeral home for thirteen years. This is the setting of her third book, a memoir, The Undertaker's Daughter. She is the co-author of Ten Steps To Fashion Freedom and Ellie Hart Goes To Work. After living in New York and Los Angeles, she now makes London her home. www.katemayfield.com Twitter: @KateMayfield Facebook: Kate Mayfield Author
‘Spanning centuries, this is an exuberant, vividly imagined and
structurally triumphant novel with a strong Dickensian
undertow.’
*Daily Mail*
‘The Parentations is beautiful, innovative and atmospheric. I was
completely captivated.’
*Anna Mazzola, author of The Unseeing*
‘Epic. Gothic. Magic. Somebody better snap up the film rights.’
*Jane Harris, author of The Observations and Sugar
Money*
'When death is not the end, someone’s true nature will be revealed,
as is the case of the ruthless, seductive Clovis Fowler in this
clever story that takes the reader from Victorian London to the
modern day.'
*Red Online*
‘The omniscient narrative flits from character to character,
creating a kaleidoscopic effect that suits the fantastical nature
of the story and the hurtling passage of the years.’
*Historical Novel Society *
‘Reminiscent of both Carr’s Alienist and Norfolk’s John Saturnall’s
Feast, this debut novel is utterly compelling – acute plotting,
vivid characters and writing so accomplished that Mayfield has you
by the throat from the very start.’
*Kate Colquhoun, author of Mr Briggs' Hat*
'Mayfield's delightfully rich and uncanny novel, The
Parentations, manages to be pacy and addictive, while
simultaneously asking profound questions about life and death.
Quite unlike anything I've ever read before.'
*Ben Fergusson, author of The Spring of Kasper Meier*
'The Parentations is a story told on an epic scale, taking the
reader from the wilds of 18th century Iceland to present day
Camden Town, and which is as much about the nature of love as it is
about the nature of evil. Kate Mayfield weaves her uncanny tale
with rich historical detail, creating an atmospheric read which is
vivid and compelling.'
*Sophia Tobin, author of The Silversmith's Wife, The
Widow's Confession, and The Vanishing*
'With The Parentations Mayfield has written a novel that is
perfect. Excellent storytelling, characters who stay with you and
some clever plot twists. To believe that this debut novel is so
accomplished is proof that Mayfield is a force to be reckoned with.
I am eagerly awaiting the next work of fiction that will emerge
from this highly creative mind.'
*Deuce Kindred's Blog*
'So inventive and unexpected and original.'
*Sally Magnusson, broadcaster, presenter, and author of Where
Memories Go and The Sealwoman's Gift*
‘An ambitious, wildly imaginative masterpiece.’
*Isobel Costello, author of the bestselling Paris Mon
Amour*
‘A hugely impressive novel – I loved it.'
*William Ryan, author of The Holy Thief*
‘The omniscient narrative flits from character to character,
creating a kaleidoscopic effect that suits the fantastical nature
of the story and the hurtling passage of the years. London itself,
and the Thames, are also central characters as we watch the city
and the river evolve and change through the passage of time... An
intriguing novel, with elements of Nordic myth, the Dickensian
underworld and Victorian gothic.’
*Historical Novel Society*
‘Mayfield maintains an admirable control of the characters’
evolution in sync with the long stretch of time that the novel
covers and the story is consistently engrossing. The Parentations
builds a wondrous panoramic view of history and disparate groups of
people united like a family over centuries.’
*Lonesome Reader*
‘The Parentations has all the twists, richness and atmosphere
of a dark Dickensian epic but with a tale that casts its net over
two centuries. It’s rare for a debut novel to have this much
ambition and flair but what Kate Mayfield promises in The
Parentations she delivers in spades.’
*Jason Hewitt, author of The Dynamite Room and
Devastation Road*
‘The Parentations turns the epic on its head...The research is
gripping and the ambition breathtaking, and the journey this story
takes you on is quite unlike any other I’ve experienced.’
*Lloyd Shepherd, author of The English Monster*
‘A blend of speculative fiction, historical fiction and fantasy,
The Parentations is full of richly drawn characters...making for an
excellent read and an author whose work I'll be extremely keen to
see more of in the future.’
*Bookbag*
‘A strange and marvellous tale of death and long, long life from a
startling imagination. A joy to read.’
*Michael Ridpath, author of the bestselling Fire & Ice
series*
'Mayfield’s prose glitters like icy stalactites illuminating the
lesser-explored comers of the human (and inhuman) condition.
Perfectly and sweetly chilling.'
*Syd Moore, author of Strange Magic*
‘A sumptuously gothic tale… this is a terrific debut from a very
exciting new talent.’
*SFX Magazine*
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