May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry (HC)

SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2026

She is a curator, who spends her time dressing the rooms of historic buildings to bring them to life. But in the lush private quarters of a medieval palace, she finds herself so transfixed by the reign of an almost-forgotten King that the edges of her life begin to blur.

He is a reluctant ruler with no hunger for power, rushed to the throne after the untimely deaths of his older brothers. But it isn't long before whispers begin to fly around the court. And with the growing belief that the King is not fit for the throne comes the idea that another might rule in his stead.

May We Feed the King dances between the lives of a historical subject who risks the future of his kingdom and a woman who turns to the past to hide from her present. Laced with desire and longing, it is a playful, stirring meditation on history and storytelling: on what makes a King 'Great', and a life meaningful.

REVIEWS

"A unique debut executed with richness and perfection" Jack at Waterstones Victoria
"Beautiful, artistic, philosophical, curious and soothing" Helen at Waterstones Leeds
"A story of inspiration, love and finding yourself again." - Oleksandra at Waterstones Bishop's Stortford

"May We Feed the King is exquisite, every detail, object, image, and feeling startlingly precise, illuminated from within. I entered the novel easily, and, once there, the world outside its pages faded blissfully away. It was the only place I wanted to be, the only book I wanted to be reading. " - Amina Cain

"An arresting and daringly imaginative meditation on history, duty, masculinity and the stories we are drawn to. In gorgeously measured prose, the novel sets the historical alongside the fabular to conjure a world of intrigue and detail." - Daisy Lafarge

PRODUCT DETAILS
Hardcover Edition
Publisher: 1st
ISBN: 978-1803513867
Pages: 272