About the book: She is a curator, who spends her time dressing the rooms of historic buildings to bring them to life.
But in the lush private quarters of a medieval palace, she finds herself so transfixed by the reign of an almost-forgotten King that the edges of her life begin to blur.
He is a reluctant ruler with no hunger for power, rushed to the throne after the untimely deaths of his older brothers. But it is not long before whispers begin to fly around the court. And with the growing belief that the King is not fit for the throne comes the idea that another might rule in his stead.
May We Feed the King (2026) dances between the lives of a historical subject who risks the future of his kingdom and a woman who turns to the past to hide from her present. Laced with desire and longing, it is a playful, stirring meditation on history and storytelling: on what makes a King 'Great', and a life meaningful.
May We Feed the King is an Observer Best Debut Novelist 2026.
You can join Rebecca Perry for an evening of conversation to celebrate the release of her brilliant new novel May We Feed The King on Wednesday 11 February 2026 at Waterstones, King's Road, SW3 3NR. General Admission: £10; Book & Ticket: £20 can be purchased on the Waterstones website under Events.
About the author: Rebecca Perry was born in London in 1986. She graduated from the Centre of New Writing at The University of Manchester in 2008 with a master’s degree in Creative Writing and now lives and works back in London. Rebecca has had work published in Iota, Smiths Knoll, The Manchester Review and The Rialto. She placed third in the 2010 Plough Prize, and was Highly Commended in the 2011 Bridport Prize. Rebecca has also contributed to This Line is Not for Turning: An Anthology of Contemporary British Prose Poetry.
Perry is the author of two full-length poetry collections - Beauty/Beauty and Stone Fruit - both published by Bloodaxe Books (2015, 2021), as well as four pamphlets. Her poetry has been shortlisted for awards including the TS Eliot Prize and her first collection won the Michael Murphy Memorial Prize. Her first work of creative non-fiction - On Trampolining - was published by Makina Books in 2023.
Rating: 5/5
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