A richly atmospheric fantasy set across one day, as a ballet troupe of lost souls perform an ancient dance for the faerie realms, knowing they could be snatched away by their audience of faerie princes, imps and sprites at any moment. For fans of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Caraval by Stephanie Garber, Pantomime by Laura Lam and The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee. As dawn breaks on All Souls Day, the lingering mists part to unveil an unending vista of serried gravestones. Between them looms a theatre like a haunted house and the sleek iron carapace of a steam train – the Pearl. On board are the cast, orchestra and crew of a travelling ballet company, performing The Apple and the Pearl. As he stumbles toward the restaurant car the lighting director, Zach, asks the new recruit, Lara, “Have you ever worked in ballet before? "Have you had any contact with the supernatural?” Everyone from the principal ballerina to the first violinist, from the wardrobe mistress to the newest members of the corps de ballet, have committed their lives to the perfection of the show. But every night they must also confront the malevolent glamour of their audience of Fae creatures only too eager to snatch them away into the Otherworld. A luscious, mesmerizing tale of the dangerous land that lies between the art and the artist, and the deep, profound emotion we find there. Christina Henry, author of Alice and The Place Where They Buried Your Haart Dazzlingly lush prose marks a series of unforgettable character portraits in this literary fantasy masterpiece. Caitlin Rozakis, New York Times-bestselling author of Dreadful A beautiful, strange, bittersweet piece of faerie-fruit, The Apple and the Pearl performs the trick of the very best fantasy: it uses a wondrous backdrop of magic to sharply and brilliantly illuminate human nature. I ached, I cried, I devoured it eagerly. And I recommend it to everyone – but especially to dancers, musicians, and everyone who's ever fallen in love with the guts of a theatre. Freya Marske, author of A Marvellous Light Enchanting ... Kechacha weaves individual strands into a glimmering, dreamlike whole, darkened by nightmares that lurk in the wings. Fans of traditional stories of the Fae won’t want to miss this." Publishers Weekly Equal parts enchanting and horrifying, The Apple and the Pearl is a stunning meditation on art: the gritty emotions that make us human, and the monstrous appetites an artist must cater to. A shocking sensual story wrapped in glossy ethereal tulle; a tale that is deeply nuanced, yet deceptively effortless. Kritika H. Rao, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Legend of Meneka A mesmerizing performance both on and off stage. It is a tale liminal, magical, with an underlying melancholic lull, like a mourning ballad, an eulogy for both people and memories with a sinister creeping tugging at the thin veil casted over the lurking shadows. Hypnotic and haunting, The Apple and the Pearl interweaves the spiritual and musical, while illuminating the sacrifices necessary for art and theatre. Ai Jiang A taut, soaring dance of a novel formed from precision, muscle, and grace; it moves through your body and lingers long after. Superb. Tashan Mehta, author of The Mad Sisters of Esi Shadowing a touring company across a single day, The Apple and the Pearl is an intricately woven tapestry of hopes, fears and dreams, as its ensemble cast wrestle with the things they can't escape and those they must leave behind. At once deeply human and gorgeously strange, this is a fierce and tender portrait of life in thrall to art. E. J. Swift, author of When There Are Wolves Again Kechacha’s skill is matchless. The Apple and the Pearl is an evocative, beautifully weird celebration of performance, desire, and camaraderie. Aliya Whiteley, award-winning author of The Beauty Poetic, witty, relatable and bewitching ... Readers are sure to be entranced.' Lexy Hudson, author of Wonders Never Cease PRAISE FOR RYM KECHACHA Rym Kechacha has created an enchanting world, filled with the magical, mysterious and mesmerising. It left me spellbound. – Elizabeth Lee, author of Cunning Women It’s visionary. It’s passionate. It’s arty. It’s twisty and turn-y. It’s an extraordinary journey into the mind of two artists - Remedios Varo’s, and Rym Kechacha’s. – Francesco Dimitri, author of The Book of Hidden Things and Never the Wind A surreal, mystical, celestial wonder of a book! To Catch a Moon is an inspired creation. – Oliver Langmead, author of Birds of Paradise and Glitterati Exceptional, impossibly beautiful, important. – Anna Smith Spark, author of the Empires of Dust trilogy Dark River is a tender and lyrical novel with mythological power. In its exquisite description of places and people under threat, Kechacha’s work is full of care for a broken world. – Naomi Booth, author of Sealed A haunting narrative of climate change, human migration, and the fie