Father Alberto and the Flying Girl (Paperback)

Timothy X. Atack

ISBN 10: 1784746282 / ISBN 13: 9781784746285

Published by Vintage Publishing, London, 2026

About this Item

Paperback. Exhilarating and wildly original debut novel set in the Middle Ages exploring mental illness, intolerance and outsiders. For readers of GLORIOUS EXPLOITS by Ferdia Lennon, THE PRETENDER by Jo Harkin, and PIRANESI by Susanna Clarke.'Dark and strange and wonderful' MARK HADDON, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time'Hilarious, moving, and delightfully weird. I thought it was brilliant' JO HARKIN, author of The PretenderIn a backwater parish somewhere in medieval Europe, new priest Alberto finds himself protecting those deemed insane. Yet Alberto must also contend with the vicious Abbess - and the terrifying Inferrant Brethren, with whom he has history.Under the reign of the Abbess, the Abbey of Saint Particular imprisons the mad - and therefore godless. Only once each year are the inmates set free for a day, on the drunken Feast of the Holy Fool. Idealistic Alberto is given the thankless task of returning them to the dungeons once the day is over, but soon starts to see that he could help the 'fools' and even learn from them.There is just one who escapes his grasp- the Flying Girl, a mysterious child who leaps from tree to tree, refusing to speak sense or stay on the ground.As Alberto grows braver in his defiance of the Abbess, everything comes to a head when the Inferral are called. A terrifying brotherhood of religious inquisition and torture, they are come to rid the parish of evil. The Flying Girl must be caught once and for all - and Alberto's unorthodox kindnesses put him more and more at risk.Bold, vivid and blackly funny, Father Alberto and the Flying Girl is a fiercely imaginative story about kindness, society and so-called madness; about getting things wrong - and hope. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781784746285

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Father Alberto and the Flying Girl (Paperback)
• Publisher: Vintage Publishing, London
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1784746282
• ISBN 13: 9781784746285
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

'Dark and strange and wonderful' MARK HADDON, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

'Hilarious, moving, and delightfully weird' JO HARKIN, author of The Pretender

A bold, vivid and fiercely imaginative historical novel with an unforgettable narrator, exploring intolerance, kindness and what 'madness' really means.

In a remote medieval parish, under the rule of a ruthless Abbess, hapless new priest Alberto is charged with guarding those deemed mad – and therefore godless.

All ‘insane’ villagers are locked in the Abbey dungeons, released only for the riotous Feast of the Holy Fool. Alberto’s thankless task is to gather them again when the Feast ends – but as he comes to know them, he begins to question whether these so-called fools need saving at all.

Only one always escapes him: the Flying Girl, a mysterious child who refuses to speak or be caught.

As Alberto’s sympathy deepens into defiance the Abbess calls in the Inferrant Brethren: a brutal religious inquisition with whom Alberto has history... With pressure mounting, Alberto must decide where he stands. Protecting the vulnerable may cost him everything.

About the Author

TIMOTHY X ATACK is a writer, composer and sound designer. His work includes the stage plays DELAY (Bristol Old Vic) and Heartworm (winner of the 2017 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting), and eco-thriller audio drama Forest 404 for BBC Sounds (winner of the 2020 WGGB and ARIA awards for best audio drama). Tim is from a Yorkshire family, grew up in Rio de Janeiro and currently lives in Bristol, where he co-founded the production company Sleepdogs with director Tanuja Amarasuriya. Father Alberto and the Flying Girl is his first novel.