From the author of Mere, Danielle Giles, comes the thrilling tale of deceit and danger in Gentle Things.

London, 1668. Though the streets hum with promise following the restoration of the crown, Lucy North is trapped. Her father's recent death has left her mother saddled with debts she cannot pay. Lucy must marry the first man willing to take her without a dowry. She has no choice.

Then she meets Thomas Ashwell, a young and charming apothecary, who offers her a route out. Lucy is quick to fall in love, and when Thomas proposes she has no hesitation in accepting him.

But, on the eve of her wedding, Lucy falls and injures her head. Confined to her bedroom while surrendering to the care of her concerned fiancée, Lucy's world soon starts to take on a warped, dreamlike – or nightmarish – quality. Her internal voice no longer sounds like her; a stranger has somehow entered her mind. As her husband continues to press his cures on her, has Thomas made her dreams come true, or has he brought about a nightmare? Can she really trust this man?

A dark and disturbing tale . . . beautifully written, you will be drawn into the claustrophobic world of the mere, where sinners fear the retribution of both God and the devil -- Laura Shepherd-Robinson, bestselling author of The Square of Sevens, on Mere
It is rare for an author to fully recreate the strangeness of the past, but Danielle Giles has done exactly that. Through eerie, beautiful writing, she takes readers on a mystery . . . a gem of a novel -- Costanza Casati, bestselling author of Babylonia, on Mere
Chilling, dark and immersive . . . I loved the originality of the story and the brave and unexpected use of language. Such a treat of a novel -- Rosanna Pike, Women's Prize longlisted author of A Little Trickerie, on Mere
Deftly written, stirring . . . haunting and beautiful, it is a deeply affecting read that will stay with me for a long time to come -- Lucy Rose, bestselling author of The Lamb, on Mere
Artful and atmospheric -- Annie Garthwaite, author of Cecily, on Mere

Danielle Giles is a writer and researcher based in Bristol. She has been published (writing as Danielle Vrublevskis) in Extra Teeth and Dear Damsels, shortlisted for the Bristol Short Story Prize and the Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize and longlisted for the Galley Beggar Press Short Story Prize. She won the Local Prize in the 2023 Bath Short Story Award. Mere, her debut novel, was published by Mantle in 2025. Gentle Things is her second novel.