Book review: May We Feed The King by Rebecca Perry (Granta, £14.99)
I was enchanted by MAY WE FEED THE KING, Rebecca Perry’s debut novel, and unsurprised to discover she’s already the author of two full-length poetry collections. The prose is exquisite, with elegant phrases such as: ‘The next morning - a fresh day, like cutting into an apple’ and ‘The flowers were pink - a pink like he’d never seen before - and, when rubbed, the foliage smelled of blackcurrant and mint.’ I wanted to whip out my pen and underline so many sentences. This is the kind of novel where, as a reader, you don’t know where the plot is going, but the author’s voice is so strong and confident it doesn’t matter. The opening section is narrated in a dry, crisp tone, by a curator who specialises in styling palaces and historic buildings for public installations. She dresses an array of tables, kitchens, parlours and bedrooms with historically appropriate food, props and objects. She’s clearly had a recent loss in her personal life, never fully articulated, and this new project - to commemorate the 750-year anniversary of a former palace - gives her a new point of focus. Most of the novel, however, takes us way back in time, and is devoted to the new king, about whom the curator reads in the archive, and his imagined life, as he reluctantly ascends the throne after his brother’s demise, and kicks against authority. The book is a quick read, with very short sections and an intriguing, playful heading for each, but the language is so beautiful I wanted to linger over each page. If I had to change one thing, it is that I wanted more time with the present-day narrator in the final section. As a former interiors stylist myself, I loved the accurate way the curator describes her job: ‘The rule is this: it must appear as if the person or people have just left the room. The viewer must feel as if the air is alive with their energy, that they only just missed them, that they will be back at any moment.’ As a reader, that’s exactly how I felt - I could taste, smell, see, and revel in the atmosphere. I fully expect to see MAY WE FEED THE KING on a 2026 debut novel prize list, and it will be well-deserved. For more reviews of books published in 2026, scroll down and click on the arrow below.
MAY WE FEED THE KING by Rebecca Perry (Granta, £14.99)