National Network for Equitable Library Service

In 1329, a beautiful Surrey woman is walled up alive in the village church of Shere. The Anchoress’ story is taken up late in this century by deranged Catholic priest Father Michael Duval. Gradually, two separate sagas unfold: the world of the Middle Ages centered on Christine’s entombment and the 1967 abduction of a young woman from Guildford. In a series of exotic twists, the medieval world of knights, debauchery, peasant uprisings and civil war merges into a modern hunt for a serial killer. The tragedy of the anchoress is based upon historical facts, yet it is also an exploration of the most dramatic themes of today: sexual freedom, and the power of belief, spiritual bondage and the individual search for self-fulfillment. Above all, this is a gripping adventure story of a love so obsessive that it spans more than 600 years.