A Private Man

"It’s a rare pleasure to read this novel."—Sarah Moss, author of Ripeness

"This one’s going to stick for a while."—Leif Enger, bestselling author of I Cheerfully Refuse

ONE OF THE OBSERVER 'S BEST DEBUT NOVELISTS OF 2026
FINALIST FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL FICTION

A debut novel inspired by the true story of the author’s grandparents, tracing the slow-burn love story between a Catholic priest and a progressive theology teacher across Rome and England during the twentieth century

It’s the 1960s, and David is handsome, charismatic, and sworn to celibacy. An exemplary Catholic priest, devotion to God is all he’s ever known, and all he ever thinks he will. In London, Margaret is adrift, healing from the loss of her parents and the end of a recent love affair. Increasingly drawn to the church, she sets out to join the new revolutions of sex and faith, taking up a teaching position at an all-girls school in David's diocese.

Decades later, Margaret is being cared for by her grandson, who has just discovered the strange truth of his family history. So begins the story of forbidden love and ardent faith, devotion and sacrifice, as the consequences of David and Margaret’s unlikely union play out across generations. A first novel from an award-winning poet, A Private Man traces the exquisite love of two brilliant characters caught between passion and piety as they seek to usher the church they cherish into a more progressive era.