Hannah Kent
Devotion
Prussia, 1836
Hanne Nussbaum is a child of nature - she would rather run wild in the forest than conform to the limitations of womanhood. In her village of Kay, Hanne is friendless and considered an oddity...until she meets Thea.
Ocean, 1838
The Nussbaums are Old Lutherans, bound by God's law and at odds with their King's order for reform. Forced to flee religious persecution the families of Kay board a crowded, disease-riddled ship bound for the new colony of South Australia. In the face of brutal hardship, the beauty of whale song enters Hanne's heart, along with the miracle of her love for Thea. Theirs is a bond that nothing can break.
The whale passed. The music faded.
South Australia, 1838
A new start in an old land. God, society and nature itself decree Hanne and Thea cannot be together. But within the impossible...is devotion.
This long-awaited novel demonstrates Hannah Kent's sublime ability with language that creates an immersive, transformative experience for the reader. Devotion is a book to savour.
Kate Cooper manages the translation rights for Devotion
Audio Rights
AvailableThe audio rights are handled by Pippa Masson.
Film Rights
AvailableContact Pippa Masson for more information
Translation Rights Sold
'Draped in rich historical detail, Hannah Kent's luminous and poignant story explores kindred spirits and an epic search for freedom.'
'Devotion is rare and exquisite, both beautiful and muscular in its portrayal of love found and denied. It’s a story of love as a radical act, and a celebration of place and persistence. As we’ve come to expect from Kent, this is masterful storytelling with pull-no-punches stakes. It’s taken root in my heart.'
'There's a mesmerising, transcendent reverence for love and the land in Hannah Kent’s exquisitely-wrought third novel.'
'With an extraordinarily daring twist halfway through its narrative Devotion is a remarkable novel, an almost visionary celebration of the death-defying power of the women’s love.'
'Devotion is a modern classic, on par with heart wrenching love stories such as Wuthering Heights and Pride And Prejudice.'
Full Review
'...there are not many novelists writing today who can conjure a European past as vividly as Hannah Kent. From her 2013 debut Burial Rites to new novel Devotion, Kent has proved she is a master at immersing the reader in a particular place and a particular period, specialising in stories of women on the margins trapped in close-knit communities and claustrophobic situations.'
....the reader is immersed in a rich, vibrant and fully realised world. The book’s structure is masterfully used to play into reader expectations before subverting them. Kent conjures up images and emotions vividly, but there isn’t a single sentence that could be easily cut.....a sweet, tragic but also surprisingly joyous tale.
Full Review
'A glorious love story'
'So beautiful and so raw . . . Impossibly good'
