The Essex Serpent

"In The Essex Serpent, Sarah Perry’s glorious historical novel, nature is not inertly beautiful, but dangerous and alive: A sheep is sucked into the mud, boats are taken by the water, earthquakes split houses, and the residents wake in the mornings “from dreams of wet black wings.” Those wings belong to the titular Essex Serpent, a water serpent terrorizing the village of Aldwinter. A story of collective panic, fear, superstition, and chaos, The Essex Serpent is utterly, endlessly lovely."