About the Author

TOM CREWE was born in Middlesbrough in 1989. He has a PhD in nineteenth century British history from the University of Cambridge. Since 2015, he has been an editor at the London Review of Books, to which he contributes essays on politics, art, history and fiction.

The New Life is his first novel. Crewe says-
'This is the book I knew I wanted to write long before I actually wrote it. I hope it reveals to readers an unfamiliar Victorian England that will surprise and provoke, inhabited by a generation in the process of discovering the nature and limits of personal freedom, struggling to create a better world as the twentieth century comes into view.'

Reviews

I loved this book
*Zadie Smith*

Completely engrossed by this fascinating story of gay life in the London of the 1890’s. Beautifully written with fantastically complicated characters
*Graham Norton*

'Tom Crewe inhabits the minds, lives and bodies of his visionary late-nineteenth century characters with almost eerie precision and intensity. The result is subtle, sexy and beautifully crafted - a wonderful book'
*Sarah Waters*

It’s wonderful when a book lives up to all the praise and prizes. A fascinating story, so confidently told, with thoroughly real characters and agonising moral compromises. Brilliant!
*Clare Chambers*

'Clever and kind, The New Life is a book of wonderful generosity and compassion'
*Alice Winn, author of In Memoriam*