Beyond The Moon

by Catherine Taylor

Overview

Outlander meets Birdsong is this haunting literary timeslip novel, where a strange twist of fate connects a British soldier fighting in the First World War in 1916 with a young woman living in modern-day England a century later.

*Shortlisted for the Eharmony/Orion Write Your Own Love Story Prize

*Longlisted for the Exeter Novel Prize

"The characterization is spot-on, as is the historical time-line. Beyond the Moon is not only a page-turner but an intelligent appraisal of medicine, psychology and mental illness over the years. Historical fantasy at its very best." - Historical Novel Society

"Beyond the Moon is a stunning debut! This impeccably researched and beautifully crafted timeslip novel is historical romantic fantasy at its best. I simply can't wait to see what Catherine Taylor does next!" - Constance Sayers, author of A Witch in Time and The Ladies Of The Secret Circus

"Lovely and unique. A love that spans time and enough history to make this WWI nerd's heart flutter" - J'nell Ciesielski, author of The Ice Swan and The Socialite

In 1916 1st Lieutenant Robert Lovett is a patient at Coldbrook Hall military hospital in Sussex, England. A gifted artist, he's been wounded fighting in the Great War. Shell shocked and suffering from hysterical blindness he can no longer see his own face, let alone paint, and life seems increasingly hopeless.

A century later in 2017, medical student Louisa Casson has just lost her beloved grandmother - her only family. Heartbroken, she drowns her sorrows in alcohol on the South Downs cliffs - only to fall accidentally part-way down. Doctors fear she may have attempted suicide, and Louisa finds herself involuntarily admitted to Coldbrook Hall - now a psychiatric hospital, an unfriendly and chaotic place.

Then one day, while secretly exploring the old Victorian hospital's ruined, abandoned wing, Louisa hears a voice calling for help, and stumbles across a dark, old-fashioned hospital room. Inside, lying on the floor, is a mysterious, sightless young man, who tells her he was hurt at the Battle of the Somme, a WW1 battle a century ago. And that his name is Lieutenant Robert Lovett...

Two people, two battles: one against the invading Germans on the battlefields of 1916 France, the other against a substandard, uncaring mental health facility in modern-day England. Two journeys begun a century apart, but somehow destined to coincide - and become one desperate struggle to be together.

Part WW1 historical fiction, part timeslip love story - and at the same time a meditation on the themes of war, mental illness, identity and art - Beyond The Moon is a debut novel that sweeps the reader on an unforgettable journey through time. An intelligent read, perfect for book clubs. For fans of Diana Gabaldon, Amy Harmon, Beatriz Williams, Kate Quinn, Kristin Hannah, Kate Morton, Susanna Kearsley and Paullina Simons.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781916093218
Publisher:	Cameo Press Ltd
Publication date:	06/26/2019
Pages:	494
Sales rank:	137,583
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Catherine Taylor was born and grew up on the island of Guernsey in the British Channel Islands. She is a former journalist, most recently for Dow Jones News and The Wall Street Journal in London. Beyond The Moon is her first novel. She lives in Ealing, London with her husband and two children.

Table of Contents

43 chapters

Editorial Reviews

Shortlisted for the Eharmony/Orion 2018 Write Your Own Love Story competition

"A poignant and stirring love story... Taylor's accomplished, genre-bending book succeeds as a historical novel and a beguiling, time-travel romance... The sharply written narrative deftly moves back and forth between the past and present." - Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2019-07-06
An unlikely twist of fate connects a British World War I soldier and a young woman living in modern-day England in this debut novel.

Lt. Robert Lovett is a dedicated British officer fighting in World War I. He is also a talented artist; his paintings depicting the realities of war are selected for a major exhibition. But by August 1916, his future as a soldier and artist is in doubt. While recovering in Coldbrook Hall Military Hospital in Sussex from injuries sustained during the Somme campaign, he is diagnosed with hysterical blindness. More than a century later, in 2017, Louisa Casson is admitted to Coldbrook after a drunken mishap on the Sussex Downs cliffs is mistaken for a suicide attempt. While exploring an abandoned wing of the building, Casson hears a man crying for help and enters Lovett's room. At first, she believes he may be a patient who thinks he is a World War I soldier or that he is "a product of her anxious, agitated mind." Eventually, Casson discovers the deserted wing is a portal to the past. Lovett regains his sight and they fall in love, but they are separated when he rejoins his regiment. Desperate to find him, Casson returns to the past as a nurse. When she learns the shocking truth about their fate, she races to find Lovett before they are separated forever. Taylor's accomplished, genre-bending book succeeds as a historical novel and a beguiling time-travel romance. Casson and Lovett are appealing protagonists whose relationship is the story's emotional center. They are surrounded by a well-developed supporting cast, including Kerry, Casson's confidante, and gallery owner Edgar Brocklebank, Lovett's friend and mentor. The sharply written narrative deftly moves back and forth between the past and present as Casson tries to learn more about the circumstances that led her to Lovett. Their realities are vividly rendered, and their individual tales could stand alone as separate narratives. In particular, Taylor's depiction of Lovett's and Casson's wartime experiences is unflinching but never gratuitous ("If the war didn't want you, that didn't mean you'd struck lucky: it meant you had missing limbs or eyes, were paralysed by spinal injuries, or mentally ill with shell shock—or permanently disabled from the inhalation of poison gas. What sort of future awaited men like that?").

A poignant and stirring love story that should appeal to fans of historical and fantasy fiction.

Kirkus Reviews