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Even Beyond Death is a historical bodice-ripper: a stimulating and swashbuckling love story set amid the courts of 17th century Avignon. Smart, high-spirited, romantic and highly original historical fiction at its finest from the Women's Prize longlisted author.
It is 1657, and 24-year-old Marquis Jehan Beaudelaire - Avignon's most striking and sought-after bachelor - is in desperate need of a wife, an heir, and, most urgently, a new valet. Enter Jonathan Kryk, a vision of breath-taking beauty.
Despite his immense wealth and high status, Jehan finds himself ensnared by the rigid constraints of his era and social rank. His longing for the man who tends to him daily, who dresses and bathes him, remains an impossible dream. Spies lurk everywhere - can he trust anyone in his household, even his own family? The ever-watchful eyes of God and the law put him in immense danger.
Lavish and steamy, mischievous and dramatic, Even Beyond Death is the story of a man in love. Not for him a history of military battles and political allegiance, royalty and lineage. With the aid of his disapproving scribe, Jehan wishes to record a memoire of love and tenderness: a 'catalogue of desire'.
Fiona Melrose's daring new novel is a passionate and heart-wrenching tale of the sacrifices we make for true love.
Author: Fiona Melrose
Paperback Published 11 February 2025 400 pages
Read and Recommended by Graeme:
"Fans of the television series Mary & George with Nicholas Galitzine or the novels of Neil Blackmore (The Dangerous Kingdom of Love) will adore this new historical novel. The setting is also fresh - Avignon, 1657 - during the reign of Louis XIV, with rumours abounding that Philippe, the KIng’s younger brother has been corrupted in a homosexual affair. Philippe is promptly dispatched for military service. But for those of humbler origins the punishment for buggery is exceptionally grisly - “dragged through the city in stocks before being tied to a stake in the square and burned.” So against this backdrop it is not surprising that 24-year-old Marquis Jehan Baudelaire keeps his desire in check. He pours his passions into writing instead, stories and dramas, and laughs off concerns that he remains a bachelor. Yet he is obliged to take on a new valet - his faithful old retainer Bobo who also served his father must be retired off due to becoming ‘truly decrepit’. Enter Jonathan Kryk, a Dutch cartographer’s son, who did Jehan a service when he cheated in a game of jeu de paume (tennis) against a visiting Marquis. The attraction between these two young men takes some time to ignite, given the threat of death hanging over them, and the spies and speculation that abound in society. Yet with Jonathan dressing, undressing, bathing and shaving Jehan daily, the burgeoning mutual desire is intense and the will they/won’t they a delicious pleasure. The novel is exceptionally well written and distinguished by a great wit, particularly in the early part of the novel. Melrose brings this privileged world to life, describing the household, society, and other characters - and Jehan is a most amusing and entertaining narrator. The novel takes a dark turn towards the end but sadly this is the grim reality of these times."