Albion, the new novel by Anna Hope is very slow-burn, nostalgic and elegiac, with a creeping sense of impending doom. It is beautifully written, with characters that draw you in. I highly enjoyed this one.

Albion by Anna Hope is a slow-burning exploration of family dynamics, legacy, and the clash of ideals set against the backdrop of a sprawling country estate. The Brookes family is gathered at their ancestral home, an eighteenth-century mansion made of Sussex sandstone, to bury the patriarch, Philip. A man who has been the sun around which his family has orbited—father, grandfather, husband, landowner, and, for all his faults, a figure whose presence has defined the lives of those left behind.

The book follows Frannie, the eldest daughter, who is the inheritor of a thousand acres of countryside. She desires to rewild the estate, turning it into a sanctuary in the face of the impending climate catastrophe. Meanwhile, her brother Milo has grander, albeit more controversial, plans to create a treetop haven for the super-rich, where under the influence of psychedelics, a new ruling class will rise. Both siblings believe that their father has blessed their ambitions, setting them on a collision course that threatens to tear apart the very fabric of their family.

Isa, the youngest of Philip’s children, is seeking personal reconciliation, hoping to rekindle a relationship with her childhood love who still resides on the estate. This quest for clarity, however, may just expose cracks in her marriage. Grace, the matriarch, is at a crossroads after fifty years in a loveless marriage, contemplating whether she dares to choose between her duty to her family and the potential for freedom. And then, from America, arrives Clara—shrouded in secrets and bearing a truth that threatens to shatter the fragile dreams the family has carefully constructed.

Anna Hope expertly navigates the tangled lives of this small cast of characters, each of whom is grappling with personal demons and conflicting desires. Set over a long weekend, the book delves into the complex relationships between family members, guests, and the land itself. The country estate, while a place of refuge for some, also becomes a symbol of the tensions and unresolved issues that simmer beneath the surface. The arrival of Clara, who may be Philip’s illegitimate daughter, only adds to the discomfort and uncertainty that pervades the weekend.

While Albion starts as a mildly interesting character study, it gradually builds into something far more compelling. Hope tackles weighty themes, including the brutality of the ruling class and the need to confront historical injustices head-on. The book’s pacing mirrors the tension within the family—slow to start but growing increasingly gripping as the characters’ secrets are revealed.

Ultimately, Albion is a powerful exploration of inheritance, identity, and the painful reckoning that comes when the past refuses to stay buried. With its richly drawn characters and intimate portrayal of family dynamics, it’s a book that lingers long after the final page. I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking for a thought-provoking read that unfolds at a deliberate yet enthralling pace.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Wonderful novel. Complex study of privilege, secrets and a dark past in a bucolic country settings. Doesn't all hang together seamlessly but very enjoyable.

A country estate is being rewilded, the overpowering father dies leaving a fed up widow and three scarred adult children. What could go wrong?!
It is set over the funeral period as the various characters face up to the changes being foisted upon them. The pace is slow and considered, giving lots of time to examine the grief and motivations of the family and their associates. As with previous Anna Hope books the depth of feeling is palpable as the bereaved face their anguish, guilt and frustration.

I’m not familiar with the work of Anna Hope, but I rather enjoyed Albion. It has a small cast of characters and a time span of some five days when a family gathers at the home estate following the death of the father. Needless to say, at such an emotional time, tensions are naturally high and bit by bit, the dysfunctional nature of the relationships becomes all too apparent.

Things are compounded when Ankara arrives from America and tightly drawn threads start to unravel. This is a a very introspective take, quite claustrophobic and not a lot of action. But the strength lies in the sharply observed characters. None particularly likeable, particularly given their privilege and for some, sense of entitlement. But Anna Hope explores some interesting themes around class, colonialism, heredity and the eco system. None of this is in your face and overall this is a fascinating state if the nation study. It’s not a class that the majority of readers will be familiar with, but it reflects the anxieties and history of many of the better connected. I enjoyed this slow tale that reveals great depths from early shallows. Enjoyed it eno.

Albion tells the story of the Brooke family, who reunite on their Sussex estate after the death of their father, Philip. The pace of this one is a bit slow but It’s a great choice for those who enjoy a good family drama and/or a character-driven story.

I tried so hard to get into this book but despite all my efforts I’m afraid that none of the main characters were credible or came alive.

There was so much descriptive narrative which slowed down the storyline which meant that unusually I was unable to finish the book.

With well-developed characters who are realistic and easily envisaged, this is a beautifully told and often heart-wrenching story about a family dealing with both their past and their heritage. Those issues keep coming back to affect them today and the question - for all of us - is how do you deal with them and the message - again for all of us - is that you cannot deal with them alone.

This was a slow burner of a novel, it took me a while to get into it. We follow the various inhabitants of a country estate over a long weekend as they prepare for the funeral of the patriarch Phillip. They are joined by guests and family members, but ‘Albion’ has a small cast and we get to know them intimately. The setting too plays its part and, while characters seek escape by immersing themselves in the rewilded country estate, tensions boil over and arrival of Clara, who may be Phillip’s illegitimate daughter, adds a further discomforting element to the mix. Whilst working on a small scale, Anna Hope tackles big issues relating to ‘the twisted creed and brutality of the ruling class’ and the need to tackle historical injustices face on. ‘Albion’ went from being mildly interesting to enthralling and I would wholeheartedly recommend it.

After the death of their father Philip, the Brooke family gather for the funeral. Each of the three siblings wants their hearts desire. For Frannie, the eldest, it is to continue The Albion Project, a rewilding scheme that she and Philip have established with great passion. The house and all one thousand acres have been bequeathed to Frannie, but brother Milo wants his share of the land to build The Clearing, a retreat for psilocybin therapy that Milo is convinced cured him of his many addictions. Then there is Isa, married to Hari, with two children. Good job, devoted husband and happy children, Isa should be content with her lot, but there is always the pull of Jack, a worker on the estate with whom she shares a past, both distant and more recent. Emotions and thoughts bubble away as they do at times in families, but the undercurrents are swiftly laid aside by the arrival of Clara and what she has to reveal.

This family saga leaves me in two minds. Yes, beautifully written, if a little wordy (why use one one when three will do), with well developed characters. It is slow, but the author gently releases the story in a cleverly woven plot.

Unfortunately the characters are so well written I found it hard to like any of them. Egotistical, self pitying and entitled in spades, it’s only Frannie’s quest for the rewilding that is at all pleasant about any of them. The arrival of Clara does cause a stir, as it should, but she is a woman with a saying for every occasion and a story to drop into conversation at will, so basically a know it all!

There are weighty issues throughout the book, dealt with empathy and compassion. Jack summed it up with “Go far back and every family has done terrible things.” And Clara’s “It’s about acknowledgment”.

A book with a message. We must all do better.

Thank you NetGalley and Fig Tree.

Albion by Anna Hope is a novel centred around a wealthy English family and their huge family estate. Following the death of their father, the family gather for his funeral at the house. Frannie, the eldest daughter and inheritor of the property wants to continue the rewilding that her and her father were passionate about, Milo wishes to create an exclusive healing centre and Isa returns from her teaching job to see her first love, Jack, who lived and worked on the estate.

I would describe this novel as a slow burn but each character is intriguing and it is easy to follow the different points of view through the distinct narration. Whilst the climax may be predictable, I thought it dealt well with the themes of money and power and found it to be a book I was always keen to get back to.

Albion spans five days as the Brooke family bury the man who has wielded so much influence over their lives. Frannie and her father established the Albion Project a decade ago, rewilding the Sussex estate as a contribution to a better future for all. Philip had a reputation for partying, hosting the legendary Teddy Bears’ Picnic, a free festival where he met both his wife Grace and his best friend Ned who has been camped out in the estate’s woodland ever since. Before his death, Philip had promised his son enough land to establish a centre for the psilocybin therapy Milo believed had cured his addiction. While Frannie and Milo wrangle over the estate’s precarious finances the daughter of one of Philip’s many lovers has decided to attend his funeral, about to drop a bombshell.
Anna Hope takes her time unfolding this absorbing story of a supremely dysfunctional family, exploring class, privilege, climate change and colonialism; weighty themes but she avoids bludgeoning her readers by deftly weaving her message about the foundation of wealth and where it comes from through an absorbing story, studded with some beautiful descriptions of the natural world. Her characters aren't monstrous – Philip was as scarred by his own childhood as his offspring have been by theirs – but they are blind to their history and its implications. It’s an impressive, ambitious novel, unafraid to tackle important issues while engaging readers in an engrossing story. I found the ending a bit too neat and tidy, but it does leave readers with hope.

3.5 ✨

I was very pleased to see there was a new Anna Hopebook, and immediately picked this one up.
Set in the most fraught of times, a family funeral.
It has a fairly small cast, in terms of the family, and a few estate workers, but there's plenty of high emotions running.
I enjoyed the talk of the rewilding.
A few surprises for me and the characters on the way, but amongst that were what felt like genuine moments of connection.

The Brooke siblings return to the familial estate for the funeral of the patriarch, Philip, who appears to be a fairly odious and entitled man.

The story addresses the complexity of the family relationships to each other, and to the two men who work the estate and the daughter of the woman that Philip left them for for a number of years. Each of the characters, whilst initially seeming quite one dimensional - Grace, the mother is emotionally unavailable, Frannie, the eldest daughter is seemingly defined by her sense of responsibility to the estate and rewinding project, etc. but they each, through a carefully winding story arc develop into intriguing individuals each carrying their own scars from their father’s behaviour.

There is a wonderful constant theme of the rewilding of the family estate driven by Philip and Frannie, showing even the worst people are not all bad!

I enjoyed this gentle story that ably carried weighty themes.