
ABOUT THIS BOOK
PUBLISHER: Doubleday
ISBN: 9781529929072
RRP: £16.99
PAGES: 352
PUBLICATION DATE:
March 27, 2025
BUY THIS BOOK
As an Amazon Associate and Bookshop.org affiliate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Greater Sins
By Gabrielle Griffiths
1915, the Cabrach, Aberdeenshire. An isolated Scottish community is disturbed by a strange discovery: a body in a peat bog, perfectly preserved. Two people haul the body from the ground: Lizzie, the wife of a wealthy local landowner, and Johnny, a nomadic singer and farm hand. At hearthside and inn, people whisper: what have we unearthed?
One unveiling brings others. For Lizzie, tenacious but trapped, the discovery reveals unanswered questions about her past while for Johnny, it threatens to uncover a history he’s trying to outrun.
As their stories entwine, a series of unsettling events befalls the isolated community: ruinous weather, a damaged soldier, strange occurrences that cannot be explained. Against the echoes of distant war, and with the boundaries blurring between right and wrong, everyone is looking for someone to blame…
Reviews of Greater Sins
Greater Sins is a glimmering debut. A muddy, pastoral fable written with an equal measure of beauty and morbidity. Completely enthralling. ― Lucy Rose, author of The Lamb
I absolutely raced through it! What a beautiful book. The prose is so lyrical and the structure so cleverly pulls the reader along. ― Hanna Thomas Uose, author of Who Wants to Live Forever
A striking debut, filled with folkloric mystery and yearning. Griffiths' prose is as elegant as it is perceptive. Read it, then read it again. ― Amy Twigg, author of Spoilt Creatures
GREATER SINS is a haunting and extraordinary debut, which will stay with me for a long time. Set during World War One and told in tender, sinuous prose, this is a simmering tale of outcasts and buried secrets, love and redemption. An incisive look at power and gender, Griffiths explores not just the darker impulses we share, but how we can find connection in unexpected places. This novel had me feeling silt between my toes and looking for ghosts in every shadow. ― Danielle Giles, author of MERE
Dripping with atmosphere, GREATER SINS is a hauntingly beautiful story, set in an isolated community. The writing is stunning; every phrase, every sentence is like poetry. And the characters – they’re complex, fascinating, and oh so relatable. A truly unforgettable read. ― Fiza Saeed McLynn, author of THE MIDNIGHT CAROUSEL
Gabrielle Griffiths
Gabrielle Griffiths grew up in Aberdeenshire and now lives in Brighton. She was a Madeleine Milburn Agency mentee in 2021 and is a graduate of the Curtis Brown Creative novel writing course. Her short fiction has been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize.