Norwich author Sarah Perry takes US by storm with The Essex Serpent

Norwich-based writer Sarah Perry's second novel, The Essex Serpent, has proved a hit with UK readers since its publication in May 2016 and now it's taking the US by storm.

The Waterstones Winter Edition of The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry published by Serpent's Tail, which has won Book of the Year at the British Book Awards. Photo supplied by Serpent's Tail. - Credit: Serpent's Tail

Perry's Gothic tale has wracked up an impressive array of accolades, including winning Waterstones Book of the Year and British Book Awards' Book of the Year.

Set in the 1890s, the story follows widow Cora Seaborne as she discovers her small village is being terrorised by a mythical beast.

Last week the book was released in the US to rave reviews, quickly becoming the best reviewed book of the week according to American website Literary Hub.

MORE: Norwich author Sarah Perry wins big at British Book Awards with The Essex SerpentRon Charles of The Washington Post described it as: 'An absorbing story told in a style that's antique without being dated, rich but never pretentious.'

Similarly, Jennifer Senior from The New York Times said: 'The Essex Serpent is a novel of almost insolent ambition - lush and fantastical, a wild Eden behind a garden gate.'

Dr Perry commented: 'This was my American debut and I must admit I was a little nervous about how a book so deeply rooted in English myth and countryside would travel across the Atlantic - I'm so completely thrilled, and slightly stunned, by its reception. And more than anything delighted for my brilliant American publisher, Custom House!'

• Have you read The Essex Serpent? Let us know what you thought in the comments below.