The Palm House

From the Women’s Prize-shortlisted author of First Love 'This goes straight onto my list of favourite modern novels’ – The Times ‘I love this book’ – Sarah Perry, award-winning author of The Essex Serpent ‘Outstandingly brilliant’ – Claire-Louise Bennett, award-winning author of Pond Laura Miller and Edmund Putnam have been friends for a long time. Theirs is a happy meeting of minds, with long evenings spent huddled in an ancient pub by the Thames, where they share office gossip, reflect on their teenage passions, and lament the state of the world. Recently, though, Putnam has been harder to reach: he has lost his father, and the magazine to which he has dedicated his life has been hijacked by an insufferable new editor, Simon ‘call me Shove’ Halfpenny. Laura has her own problems: with a prickly mother and a tricky past, and in a beautiful and indifferent city, her day-to-day life is precarious. But as Putnam starts to sink into despondency, she must try to bring him back. A novel of enduring friendships and small mercies, The Palm House offers us Gwendoline Riley’s trademark keen observation and wit, and leaves us - somehow - with a curious sense of possibility. One of BBC Culture’s most exciting books to look forward to in 2026. PRAISE FOR GWENDOLINE RILEY ‘Riley’s prose is so electric, so alive with humour and insight and passion, that by the end you will want to stand up and cheer’ – Paul Murray, author of The Bee Sting ‘Gwendoline Riley is a genius’ – Evening Standard ‘So painful, so funny and acutely observed’ – David Nicholls, author of You Are Here ‘A writer of singular vision’ – The Guardian