At the same time, the novel explores the boundaries of love and friendship and the allegiances that we have to one another. Moving between Essex and London, Cora Seaborne’s spirited search for the Essex Serpent encourages all around her to test their allegiance to faith or reason in an age of rapid scientific advancement.
Published in 2016, The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry is set at the end of the 19th century and inspired by a true myth. Her characters are complex, and her settings are stunning and vivid, but what sets this novel apart from others in the genre is her focus on the possibility of platonic meaningful friendships.“We think we know where we’re aiming, and perhaps we do – but morning comes, and a change in the light, and we find out we should’ve been trying in a different direction after all.” Perry brings the Victorian era sharply into focus for us with its slow crawl toward enlightenment and discusses issues still facing us today: homelessness, medical breakthroughs, and autism. Readers will be delighted to find this work reminiscent of writers such as Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, and Kate Chopin.
Cora and William form an unlikely friendship and spend much time having many discussions pitting her science against his faith. Shortly after arriving, Cora is introduced to the local vicar, Reverend William Ransome, and his lovely family. Cora is convinced that it is an ichthyosaur and is determined to discover proof. Being a student of paleontology, she packs up her autistic son, Francis, and her companion, Martha, and heads to Aldwinter, where reports have been circulating that the Essex Serpent may be on the loose again. Cora Seaborne, having recently buried her abusive husband, decides that a change of scenery is just what she needs. Sarah Perry, in her novel The Essex Serpent brings us the story of a young widow’s awakening and an unlikely friendship.
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