The Pursuit of William Abbey

A hauntingly powerful novel about how the choices we make can stay with us forever, by the award-winning author of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August and 84K.

“Gripping, bloody, and haunting.” —Kirkus Reviews

South Africa in the 1880s. A young and naive English doctor by the name of William Abbey witnesses the lynching of a local boy by the white colonists. As the child dies, his mother curses William.

William begins to understand what the curse means when the shadow of the dead boy starts following him across the world. It never stops, never rests. It can cross oceans and mountains. And if it catches him, the person he loves most in the world will die.

Gripping, moving, and thought-provoking, The Pursuit of William Abbey proves once again that Claire North is one of the most innovative voices in modern fiction.

Previous books by Claire North:
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
Touch
The Sudden Appearance of Hope
The End of the Day
84K
The Gameshouse

Previous books written as Kate Griffin:
Matthew Swift novels:
A Madness of Angels
The Midnight Mayor
The Neon Court
The Minority Council

Magicals Anonymous novels:
Stray Souls
The Glass God

• "There is no piece of The Pursuit that is forgettable ... It is beautiful. It has, buried deep inside, a hopeful heart."
  NPR
• "True love, life, and death, what's worth dying-or killing-for: It's all here in this gripping, bloody, and haunting novel."
  Kirkus on The Pursuit of William Abbey
• "In rich, compelling prose, North weaves together the threads of imperial control, ideological conviction, love and the thrill of power. Readers will remain eager to the end for answers."
  Shelf Awareness on The Pursuit of William Abbey
• "North has established a reputation for tense, dense, science fiction/fantasy-inflected thrillers that defy facile explanations... Well-paced, brilliant and balanced."
  New York Times on The Sudden Appearance of Hope
• "Wholly original and hauntingly beautiful. North is a writer to watch."
  Kirkus on The End of the Day
• "North is an exciting voice in contemporary fantasy."
  San Francisco Chronicle on The End of the Day
• "North is an original and even dazzling writer."
  Kirkus on 84K
• "Evocative, thought-provoking... I'll read anything she writes."
  Omnivoracious on 84K
• "Another captivating novel from one of the most intriguing and genre-bending novelists currently working in the intersection between thriller and science fiction."
  Booklist (starred review) on 84K
• "Claire North is one hell of a writer."
  C. L. Taylor, author of The Accident on Touch
• "Claire North's writing is terrific, smart, and entertaining."
  Patrick Ness on The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August