manuscript

The novel kicks off with the theft of a book manuscript from a publishing house — a book, we learn, that may contain the secrets to an entirely new way of looking at the world.

The Booker-winning novelist has previously expressed his opposition to "sensitivity readers", the practice of hiring someone to read a manuscript before its publication in order to point out things that might be offensive to readers.

Campaigners have also approached King Charles as patron of the St Catherine Foundation, which raises funds to help conserve and study the monastery's heritage with its collection of valuable ancient Christian manuscripts.

“The sound of her humiliating cackle still haunts me,” Morticia tells her daughter, recounting the experience of her own mom, Hester, reading one of her earlier manuscripts and shaming her for it.

"I scribble and sketch, but shift quickly to the computer. I thought I'd write the whole manuscript longhand - by the third paragraph I gave up."