The High House, Jessie Greengrass
Francesca is Caro's stepmother, and Pauly's mother. A scientist, she can see what is going to happen. The high house was once her holiday home; now looked after by locals Grandy and Sally, she has turned it into an ark, for when the time comes. The mill powers the generator; the orchard is carefully pruned; the greenhouse has all its glass intact. Almost a family, but not quite, they plant, store seed, and watch the weather carefully.
A stunning novel of the extraordinary and the everyday, The High House explores how we get used to change that once seemed unthinkable, how we place the needs of our families against the needs of others - and it asks us who, if we had to, we would save.
A review by Caylx at Suffolk Libraries
‘You think you have time. And then, all at once, you don’t.'
Shortlisted for the Costa Best Novel Award, Jessie Greengrass’ sophomore novel, The High House is a poignant climate-fiction novel following the lives of four people in the wake of climate disaster: Caro, the stepdaughter of the scientist who predicted what would happen, her half-brother Pauly, and live in-caretakers Sally and her granddad.
In the High House, a sanctuary converted to outlast the seemingly inevitable apocalypse, they learn to live together and take care of each other, watching as the wild world outside their windows struggles to cope with the changes, and the ever-encroaching floodwaters make the reality of their future harder and harder to consolidate.
This is a deep and moving examination of human connection that asks us to consider the convenience of our current lives, and how the decisions made for our planet can change everything.
Interview with the author Jessie Greengrass
Jessie Greengrass, author of 'The High House' spoke to us on 6 April 2022 about her latest title 'The High House' and why she feels climate change is an important topic for people to be aware of.
About the author
Jessie Greengrass is a British writer, currently living in Northumberland. Her short story collection, An Account of the Decline of the Great Auk, According to One Who Saw It, won the Somerset Maugham Award and the Edge Hill prize in 2016. Her first novel, Sight was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize.
Her second novel, The High House, was shortlisted for the 2021 the Costa Novel Award.
Jessie Greengrass - author of The High House
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Wild Reads is a partnership project between Suffolk Libraries and Suffolk Wildlife Trust to promote our connection between the natural world and the written word.
Wild Reads aims to give everyone the opportunity to enjoy the very best nature writing. The aim is to help inspire and ignite a love of nature in readers through the lenses of a wide variety of writers.
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A window to wildlife - discover local landscapes with Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Are you feeling inspired by The High House? Well, why not discover some of the best natural landscapes Suffolk has to offer? From ancient woods to windswept marshes, Suffolk Wildlife Trust's nature reserves are as varied as the animals and plants that live in them. These wild places are special, and in winter may well come with lashings of mud!
