Father Alberto and the Flying Girl: An exhilarating and wildly original historical novel set in medieval Europe
Timothy X Atack
Jun 2026 · Random House
Ebook
384
Pages
About this ebook
'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.
'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.
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