Beyond The Moon

A strange twist of fate connects a British soldier fighting in WW1 in 1916 with a young woman living in modern-day England a century later, in this haunting, Amazon no.1 best selling literary time travel novel. Shortlisted for the Eharmony/Orion Love Story Prize. Longlisted for the Exeter Novel Prize. "Historical fantasy at its very best"—Historical Novel Society."Taylor’s accomplished, genre-bending book succeeds as a WW1 historical novel and a beguiling, time travel love story" — Kirkus Reviews. In 1916 1st Lieutenant Robert Lovett is a patient at Coldbrook Hall military hospital in Sussex, England. A gifted artist, he’s been wounded fighting in WW1. Shell shocked and suffering from hysterical blindness he can no longer see his own face, let alone paint, and life seems increasingly hopeless. A century later in 2017, medical student Louisa Casson has just lost her beloved grandmother—her only family. Heartbroken, she drowns her sorrows in alcohol on the South Downs cliffs—only to fall accidentally part-way down. Doctors fear a suicide attempt, and Louisa finds herself involuntarily admitted to Coldbrook Hall, now a psychiatric hospital, an unfriendly and chaotic place. Then one day, while secretly exploring the old hospital’s abandoned wing, Louisa hears a voice calling for help, and stumbles across a dark, old-fashioned hospital room. Inside, lying on the floor, is a mysterious, sightless young man, who tells her he was he was hurt at the Somme, a WW1 battle a century ago. And that his name is Lt Robert Lovett… Two people, two battles: one against the invading Germans in 1916 France, the other against an uncaring mental health facility in 2017. Part war story, part timeslip, part love story—and at the same time a meditation on the themes of war, mental illness, identity and art, Beyond The Moon is an intelligent, captivating debut novel, perfect for book clubs.

NB Contains graphic descriptions of war violence/injuries, profanity and mild sex.