The Palm House

Synopsis

Laura Miller and Edmund Putnam have spent years sharing long conversations in an old pub by the Thames, trading office gossip, reminiscing about youthful passions, and trying to make sense of the world around them. Their friendship has endured the quiet disappointments of adulthood, but recent losses have begun to unsettle the lives they have carefully constructed. As Edmund struggles with grief and growing disillusionment at work, Laura faces the daily challenges of navigating London, a difficult relationship with her mother, and the lingering weight of her past.

With remarkable precision and understated wit, The Palm House is a quietly devastating novel about friendship, loneliness, memory, and the small acts of care that sustain us through life's uncertainties. Gwendoline Riley's elegant prose captures the emotional texture of ordinary lives with extraordinary insight, creating a deeply humane portrait of connection, resilience, and the possibility of renewal.

About the Author

Gwendoline Riley is an acclaimed British novelist whose works include First Love, My Phantoms, and The Palm House. Renowned for her sharp dialogue, psychological precision, and quietly devastating observations of contemporary life, she has been recognized as one of the finest British and Irish novelists writing today.

Publisher
New York Review Books

Publication Date
April 14, 2026

Format
Paperback

Pages
224

Subjects
Literary Fiction · Contemporary Fiction · British Literature

ISBN
9798896230526