Enlightenment: A Novel BY Sarah Perry

Enlightenment by Sarah Perry is a richly woven narrative of friendship, love, and the mysteries of the cosmos, set against the backdrop of a small Essex town and the grandeur of scientific discovery. The novel spans two decades, tracing the lives of Thomas Hart and Grace Macaulay, two unlikely yet deeply connected friends separated by thirty years in age.

Thomas and Grace, though bound by their shared upbringing in a strict Baptist community, grapple with their individual desires to explore beyond their insular world. Their friendship is tested by two romantic entanglements—one that tears them apart and sets Thomas on a quest to uncover the secrets of a vanished nineteenth-century astronomer rumored to haunt a nearby manor. Meanwhile, Grace escapes to London, seeking a new life and leaving behind the town that holds so many unresolved tensions.

As years pass, their paths cross again, drawing them into the unraveling mystery of the missing astronomer. Their personal journeys become intertwined with the astronomical quest, leading them to profound questions about love, fate, and the nature of existence. The novel delves into themes of faith versus scientific inquiry, exploring the balance between destiny and free will.

Enlightenment is a baroque, genre-defying epic that combines elements of historical fiction, romance, and intellectual exploration. Perry's narrative is rich with symbolism and layered with meaning, offering a meditative reflection on what it means to be human, to love, and to seek understanding in a universe that seems both wondrous and elusive.