John Brown's Body

A vulnerable young woman becomes fascinated by her neighbour, a man she suspects of an appalling crime, in A.L. Barker’s extraordinary fourth novel.

"An extraordinary achievement."  -  A. S. Byatt

Marise Tomelty, the young wife of a travelling salesman, dislikes sex and is terrified of open spaces. Ralph Shilling, a dealer in pesticides, lives in the flat above the Tomeltys. One day, Marise’s husband casually mentions that he recognizes Ralph as John Brown, the suspect who was acquitted of the gruesome double murder of two sisters because of a lack of evidence. Despite this, Marise encourages Ralph’s attention, intoxicated by a heady mix of passion and fear.

"It would be hard to find anyone who chooses words more exactly or constructs with more precision."   -   Penelope Fitzgerald

A L (Audrey Lilian) Barker – poet, short-story writer and novelist – was an author who gained more critical accolades than sales. She was shortlisted for John Brown’s Body. Although the author of 11 novels, the form came third in her estimation behind poetry and short stories (which she described as ‘explosions in the dark’). A modest but astute woman, Barker wrote as part of a varied career that included spells as a watchmaker, joining the Land Army during the war, and working with both publishers and the Listener.