The Sealed Letter

Emma Donoghue

The Sealed Letter

From the bestselling author of ROOM comes a delicious tale of secrets, betrayal and forbidden love.

After a separation of many years, Emily 'Fido' Faithfull bumps into her old friend Helen Codrington on the streets of Victorian London. Much has changed: Helen is more and more unhappy in her marriage to the older Vice-Admiral Codrington, while Fido has become a successful woman of business and a pioneer in the British Women's Movement. But, for all her independence of mind, Fido is too trusting of her once-dear companion and finds herself drawn into aiding Helen's obsessive affair with a young army officer.

When the Vice-Admiral seizes the children and sues for divorce, the women's friendship unravels amid accusations of adultery and counter-accusations of cruelty and attempted rape, as well as a mysterious 'sealed letter' that could destroy more than one life . . .

Based on blow-by-blow newspaper reports of the 1864 Codrington Divorce, The Sealed Letter, full of sparkling characters and wicked dialogue, is a thought-provoking mystery and gripping drama of friends, lovers and marriage.

Rosanna Boscawen
 

Emma Donoghue is the bestselling author of Room and more recently of a wonderful collection of short stories, Astray. Read on for reading tips a-plenty.

Emma Donoghue
 

A brilliant story from Emma Donoghue's new collection, Astray.

The Sealed Letter by Emma Donoghue has been longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2012. 

Nick Blake
 

Every woman should be free
to support herself by the use of
whatever faculties God has given her.

Nick Blake
 
Her clear eyes look far, as bent
On shining futures gathering in;
Nought seems too high for her intent,
Too hard for her to win.