The Newer World by Sebastian Barry

Published 10th September 2026. An immersive and unforgettable novel of one man's life in the aftermath of the American Civil War. I knew as I made my way home that there was no home. All the old things .. . were gone forever.
 
Against the rapidly shifting landscape of post Civil War America, Tennyson Bouguereau - freed man, devoted brother, nascent singer, conflicted soldier and wanted man - journeys to find meaning and belonging. From the relative safety of home in Tennessee with his sister Rosalee, he is offered the possibility of a whole new life in Nashville, until a surprising trip to Victorian England changes everything. Exquisitely rendered, and with a rich cast of characters, The Newer World is a lyrical, visceral novel about what it is to survive, and what might be lost along the way.