The Spire

‘There were three sorts of people. Those who ran, those who stayed, and those who were built in’.

Set in medieval England, The Spire tells the story of one man’s vision – the construction of an enormous spire onto a cathedral without foundations.  Believing himself to be chosen by God, Jocelin, Dean of the Cathedral, insists that the spire must rise higher and higher, despite the singing pillars and the creeping ground.

Told with an inventive narration that reflects Jocelin’s ever-increasing madness, The Spire is an astonishing portrait of obsession, betrayal, and arrogance. Jocelin’s vision produces terrible consequences for those around him; the human ‘cost’ of one man’s folly.

The novel has been recorded by Benedict Cumberbatch as an audiobook.

‘Quite simply, a marvel’. – Frank Kermode