Paperback pick: The Anchoress

Set in England in 1255, Robyn Cadwallader’s powerful debut tells the story of teenage Sarah, who decided to dedicate her life to religion, and sequestered herself away in a shadowy cell that measures ‘nine paces by seven’ at the side of a village church.

She wants to be holy, but she also wants to escape from the restricted roles open to women in the 13^th century.

Having watched her sister die in childbirth, and spurned the advances of a son of the local lord, Sarah is determined to carve out a singular life but the realities of her situation soon test her mettle.

The Anchoress by Robyn Cadwallader is published by Faber & Faber, £14.99