"Rich in period detail and intrigue, this beautifully-written page-turner traverses centuries, from 17th -century France to present-day Hull, as it unlocks the secrets of a silver cup."
Opening in late 17th-century, and interweaving the fascinating centuries-old story of a poor French silversmith with the discoveries of a present-day woman, Rica Hene’s The Sleeper is an elegantly written delight.
Also rich in period detail, and shrouded in mystery, it seamlessly blends well-informed historic fiction with all the pace and readability of contemporary fiction.
The story begins in France, in 1685, when a young, impoverished silversmith by the name of Abraham ventures to England in the hope of finding his fortune. A fortuitous encounter sees him journey to Kingston-Upon-Hull, as a result of a stranger sharing a yet stranger story relating to a special piece of silver.
Centuries later, Clare comes across a silver “dram cup or a hottwater taister” at an antiques fair in London. Its unusual engraving catches her eye, and Clare is driven to discover its meaning, and its maker.
The switch between eras is brilliantly done, with the corresponding shifts in style and tone giving readers a thrilling two-in-one experience that’s seamlessly woven together. As such, The Sleeper is likely to hold huge appeal for fans of historic fiction and contemporary novels alike — it’s unexpected, immersive, and laced with page-turning mystery.
| Primary Genre | Historical Fiction |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
Living in uncertain times during the year 1685, Abraham Barachin, a young, penniless silversmith left France to seek his fortune in England. He made the perilous journey to Kingston-upon-Hull after a chance encounter with an Englishman in a church in Paris.
The stranger had told him a bizarre story about his need to return two silver saltcellars and a beaker, in which there was a stone, to the family of his late wife. Despite his scepticism, Abraham had agreed.
Over three hundred years later, Clare Cartwright spotted a piece of Hull silver at an antiques fair. What caught her eye was the odd engraving on it. What was its significance?
Shortly after making the purchase, she discovered something alarming about it. Curious to unravel its meaning, Clare journeyed across time and borders where she found surprising connections to life in seventeenth-century Hull, and a renewed sense of purpose to discover more about the life and times of the maker of her latest acquisition.
A message from the author - I never intended to write a book. It came about long after I finished the research, long after I should have put the whole episode to bed and got stuck into something new. But I couldn’t, it would not leave me alone until I felt compelled to put pen to paper to clear my head. As it is the twenty-first century, fingers to keyboard to be accurate.
The story seemed to unfold itself before my eyes with much of it simply falling into my lap. After Clare bought the cup, coincidence after coincidence followed whilst she was researching it, so much so the story almost wrote itself. If that all sounds too cryptic, reading it is the only way to find out what happened.
The Sleeper features in the following genres: Debut Books of the Month, Debuts, Historical Fiction, Antiques, vintage and collectables: gold, silver and other metals (other than jewellery), Historical Fiction
The Sleeper is available in Paperback
The Sleeper was written by Rica Hene and published by Troubador Publishing an imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd
The Sleeper has 392 pages
£9.89
