The River Brings the Sea

When the floods came, they washed away the world as we knew it. Cities drowned, nations splintered, and the UK became a broken archipelago of flooded ruins and lawless frontiers. Amid the collapse, NOAH – a brutal theocratic movement – seized power, ruling by fear and public punishment. Survival now depends not on strength alone, but on who you choose to trust.

Anna and Robbie have already lost almost everything. Fleeing the waterlogged ruins of London, they journey north among thousands of refugees until they find the Mill: a small, self-sufficient community clinging to hope in deepest Cumbria. Food is scarce, winters are deadly, but here there is work, dignity and a fragile peace.

Then, a starving young woman and her child arrive at their door. Nula is clearly hiding something. Her daughter, Jamila, is terrified of men. And within weeks of their arrival, people begin to go missing.

As suspicion spreads, loyalties fracture and old traumas resurface, Anna must confront both the ghosts of her past and the threat closing in from the flooded world beyond. In a land reclaimed by water, how far will she go to save her friends, the man she loves – and the slim chance of a future for them all?

Author Biography

Ali Thurm is originally from Newcastle-upon-Tyne but now lives in London, and spends her time between Ealing and Cumbria. Her first novel, ‘One Scheme of Happiness’ was shortlisted for the First Novel Prize in 2017, and the Cinnamon Debut Novel Award in 2018, and was published by Retreat West Books in 2020. Her unpublished novel, ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ was longlisted for the Bath Novel Award in 2017. An earlier draft of ‘The River Brings the Sea’ was placed third in the First Novel Prize in 2019.