Description
“A fascinating mélange of gothic fiction and magical realism, The Gifts unpacks the bizarre Victorian obsession with angels―celestial angels, the perfect domestic angel every man supposedly wanted in a wife, and the “alternate fact” that actual women could sometimes sprout actual wings… Hyder interweaves these [women’s] stories in very short chapters, each a miniature jewel of world-building, unique characterization, and dramatic intrigue.” ― Historical Novel Society
“Remarkable…for fans of fantasy-inflected historicals such as Sarah Perry’s The Essex Serpent.” ―Publishers Weekly, STARRED review
“A sumptuous reading experience.” ―BookPage
It will take something extraordinary to show four women who they truly are . . .
October 1840. A young woman staggers alone through a forest in the English countryside as a huge pair of impossible wings rip themselves from her shoulders.
In London, rumors of a “fallen angel” cause a frenzy across the city, and a surgeon desperate for fame and fortune finds himself in the grips of a dangerous obsession, one that will place the women he seeks in the most terrible danger . . .
The Gifts is an astonishing novel, a spellbinding tale told through five different perspectives and set against the luminous backdrop of nineteenth century London, it explores science, nature and religion, enlightenment, the role of women in society and the dark danger of ambition.
