May We Feed the King

by Rebecca Perry

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 isn't 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 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 on what makes a King 'Great', and a life meaningful.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical

263 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication January 29, 2026

Reviews

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to be honest. Since I left the palace on that Sunday evening, leaving the public to their tour and their imaginings, I have felt unmoored. I have turned a few different words over in my mind, and unmoored is the best I can do. I am still somewhat tethered to the King, but as a parent who loses their child in the supermarket might feel for the first few seconds, before the real panic sets in. Otherwise, floating about in this life, in this place, finding myself again queasy to be at home in the quiet, in the dark – though certainly less than before. The dining table a glowering vacancy still, but in the middle a silver fork – permitted for use by the King alone – with a single pomegranate seed impaled on the left prong. It would have been too great a risk to take nothing before that final meeting.

 
Rebecca Perry is a poet – whose debut collection “Beauty Beauty” was shortlisted for the prestigious TS Eliot Prize, and she has also written a “memoir/lyrical non-fiction” book “On Trampolining” and this is her debut novel, told in short chapters (with brilliantly evocative chapter names - “Not All Seeds Need Lights to Germinate”, “Made Manifest”, “ I Doth Loathe to Weep” some early examples) and in an elusively fragmentary prose which perfectly captured its themes of what it means to interpret history by piecing together elusive and fragmentary sources into a coherent, imagined story.
 
It begins in the first party voice of a curator – her specialist job is “deciphering archives and curating semi-permanent scenes (domestic, culinary and otherwise) in medieval buildings”, a calling she has taken to a high degree of precision (striving for details which may only be noticed by one in a thousand visitors) for over twenty years, with one self-imposed guiding rule: “it must appear as it the person or people have just left the room. The viewer must feel as it the air is alive with their energy”.
 
Now, after some unspecified but clearly difficult and loss-enduring incidents in her life, she takes on a new commission to make an installation for the 750th anniversary of a former palace now publicly open historical house.
 
Working closely with an archivist, immersing herself in the sensory impressions of the present day palace and researching its extensively documented history she decides that her subject matter will be a King whose reign is covered in just a single page “his story retrospectively evolved .. altered, embellished, struck through, left to rest as one great question mark by people who damned him”.
 
And left one night, at her request, alone in the palace she summons in her mind the world of the King.
 
And the bulk of the novel is then the story of the King – we assume as imagined by her. 

Youngest of three brothers, their successive deaths (one quickly after becoming a feared King, the other after a long illness following a beloved and respected reign) force him to a throne he never wants, and a Kingship he wears loosely to the despair of his council and Chief Advisor and to rumours of incompetence, cuckolding and worse.  
 
Before the novel returns to the curator giving an interactive lecture/discussion about what it means to know history – but as we also are in our own imagination trying to piece together the elusive fragments of the curator’s own life.
 
I would not be surprised this enigmatic yet thought provoking and distinctive novel appearing on prize lists in 2026 – it would I think be a great if imaginative choice for the Walter Scott Prize. I will also briefly pause to note that no less than two of this year’s Booker Prize Judges - Patricia Lockwood and Raymond Antrobus – are poets and a third – Jarvis Cocker – a lyricist …. And of course the chair is a historian.
 
My thanks to Granta for an ARC via NetGalley

[Ruben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing better than discovering a good debut novel!

I say often in my reviews how I like historical fiction to do something unexpected and original, and that is precisely what 'We May Feed The King' does - not by offering a different perspective on known historical facts, but by challenging the genre itself.

It takes a very original approach to historical fiction and essentially asks the same question Ian McEwan asks in 'What We Can Know': how much can we really know about the past?

The main character works for museums and old castles to create and recreate scenes from the past. For example, she uses fake fruit and meat to replicate a Medieval feast.

During the research for her latest assignment, she stumbles upon an unusual King in the archives. The novel then travels back centuries to the King's reign, only to return to the present in the third and final part.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC (and to Mohammed and Gumbles Yard for tipping this!)

4,5

[em · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous writing, simply breathtaking. I was a little unsure of this book at the start, but as soon as we entered the time of the King, I was mesmerised. The way Perry gave so much life to the King and the Queen, without ever giving them a name, is simply astounding. I was unable to put this down, while nothing happened per se, I just loved the writing and reading about the court and all of its characters. Truly a gateway of a book, really enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #MayWeFeedTheKing #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Juliano · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I found my King on the fifth day. The archivist had entered the room, placed a thick pile of papers at my elbow and said, *I think that's it for entries about food - now we move on to the people.* I found his scant entry in the ledger almost immediately - it was in my hands, as if I had manifested it, with no knowledge of what came before. The single page dedicated to his reign was now a mess, with marginalia and footnotes added over time as his story retrospectively evolved - was altered, challenged, embellished, struck through, left to rest as one great question mark by people who damned him. It’s important to say that I cried, I wept, when I saw it. What a reduction of a life.” Rebecca Perry’s May We Feed The King is THE novel to beat for 2026, hands down — I’d hate to be a novelist, much less a debut novelist, publishing next year! We open with a curator, assigned to do what she does best: dress a historical location, this time a medieval palace, to create “scenes” in a kind of living exhibition. She’s wrestling with some trauma she keeps at a distance: “At this point, certain things had happened in my life. I was ready to immerse myself.” She soon becomes friendly with an archivist, and together they discover the King that will centre the scenes. And thus we learn, through the most insanely exquisite prose, what happened to the King. It’s by turns mysterious, heartbreaking, luminous, erotic, delicious: a rare feat and feast of a novel, written with swift yet meticulous characterisation and a poet’s sensibility, that evokes gossip and hearsay better than anything I’ve ever read, resulting in the most satisfying and stupefying snowballing of stories and mythologising. I read it in two frantic sittings, and the only thought that eased the grief of finishing it was, at least now I can push it into the arms of as many others as possible. So in awe of Perry’s work, and so grateful to Granta for sending me the early proof. It’s out 29 January and you WILL be reading it!!

[Zuky the BookBum · Rating 5 out of 5]

incredible!!!

[Veerle · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Nederlands onderaan) May We Feed the King is the debut novel of poet Rebecca Perry, and its poetic origins are unmistakable. As is often the case when poets turn to fiction, the strength of the book lies not in a neatly plotted A-to-Z narrative, but in its language, imagery, and metaphors. For readers who value atmosphere over action, this novel is a treat.

At its heart is the imagined life of a nameless king, reconstructed through the mind of an equally nameless food/interior stylist. She has been commissioned to dress a location-less castle for a 750th anniversary — though no one is quite sure what they are celebrating. In preparation for her final presentation, she passionately assembles the king’s story, blending historical fragments with personal invention.

The king is deemed weak by his contemporaries. He has no desire to rule, no appetite for ambition, and refuses to make decisions that conflict with his gentle values. He doesn't want to be king nor was he destined to be a king. He delights instead in nature — blossoms, alliums, foxgloves, lupins, peacock feathers — which prompt philosophical reflections rather than political ones. He abhors war, despises the burden of taxation, and is far more interested in how cinnamon cakes are made.

The choice for anonymity — no names, no fixed locations — creates an seemingly distant narrative perspective that turns out to be deeply moving and exquisitely poetic. Despite this abstraction, there is an intense intimacy with the king, his wife, and those who suffer under their faith and the power-hungry courtiers surrounding him. Perry explores how softness and moral hesitation are easily reframed as weakness within systems of power.

Chapter titles carry a near-religious, enigmatic weight — This is what happens when a foetus wound is left to rot or Are we not many fish in a pond — and one chapter consists solely of empty brackets: [ ]. This typographical experimentation reinforces the novel’s themes of absence and distance.

May We Feed the King is a meditative, sensuous reflection on history, authority, and gentle leadership. An impressive debut that demonstrates how richly prose can be nourished by a poet’s skills.

Thank you NetGalley and Granta for this wonderful ARC!
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May We Feed the King is het romandebuut van dichter Rebecca Perry, en dat voel je op elke pagina. Zoals zo vaak bij dichters die de overstap maken naar proza, ligt de kracht niet in een strak A–Z-verhaal, maar in het taalgebruik, de beelden en de ruimte die de tekst laat aan verbeelding en reflectie. Precies dat maakt deze roman zo geslaagd.

In het middendeel ontvouwt zich het verhaal van een naamloze koning, gereconstrueerd door de fantasie van een even naamloze food/interieurstylist. Zij is aangesteld om een locatieloos kasteel aan te kleden ter gelegenheid van een 750ste verjaardag — waarvan niemand nog weet van wie of wat. Vanuit haar passie voor eten, presentatie en geschiedenis stelt ze het leven van deze bijna vergeten koning samen, als voorbereiding op haar uiteindelijke culinaire creatie.

De koning wordt door zijn tijdgenoten als zwak beschouwd: hij heeft geen ambitie om te heersen, weigert beslissingen te nemen die indruisen tegen zijn zachte waarden en voelt zich diep ongemakkelijk bij macht. Hij houdt van de natuur — van bloesems, alliums, vingerhoedskruid, lupines en pauwenstaarten — die hem tot filosofische overpeinzingen brengen. Oorlog verafschuwt hij, net als het pesten van mensen met belastingen. Liever wil hij weten hoe kaneelcakejes worden gemaakt.

De keuze voor naamloosheid en plaatsloosheid creëert een ogenschijnlijk afstandelijk vertelperspectief, maar schijn bedriegt. Ondanks die afstand voel je een sterke nabijheid tot de koning, zijn vrouw en allen die lijden onder de machtswellust van de hovelingen rondom hen. Perry toont hoe zachtmoedigheid in een systeem van macht al snel als falen wordt gezien.

Ook formeel durft de roman te spelen. De hoofdstuktitels hebben een bijna religieuze, raadselachtige lading — This is what happens when a foetus wound is left to rot of Are we not many fish in a pond — en één hoofdstuk bestaat zelfs enkel uit lege haakjes: [ ]. Het is een speels, gedurfd gebruik van typografie dat perfect past bij de thematiek van afwezigheid, vergetelheid en interpretatie.

May We Feed the King is een meditatieve, zintuiglijke leeservaring over macht, geschiedenis en de waarde van zacht leiderschap. Een indrukwekkend debuut dat bewijst hoe vruchtbaar de overgang van poëzie naar proza kan zijn

[Rachel Axton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told in 3 parts (4 if you include the necessary Epilogue), it is a book that plays with form and style. Part 1 introduces the reader to the narrator, a curator who has just won a new assignment to style a palace for its opening celebration. She has a deep passion for her work and for the creation of installations that give the person observing the scene the sense that the original owners or users of the space have just, at that moment left.

'The rule is this: it must appear as if the person or people have just left the room. The viewer must feel as if the air is alive with their energy, that they only just missed them, that they will be back at any moment'

Because of this need to create life out of plastic food and other accessories, the narrator needs to recreate the lives of all those inhabitants, before she can know what the room needs. To assist her, is the archivist, who is always described as such and never by a name nor a gender.

'The archivist was waiting in a dim room. They always are. The better to protect the fragile pages, but I suspect, they enjoy the drama of it too - their white gloves glowing as the beckon you inside, like a mystic bidding you come observe your future in a pale fire.'

Through her explorations and the information uncovered by the archivist, we also learn more about the narrator, why she loves what she does, and we get the distinct sense that she is still grieving the loss of someone important to her that used to share her life and home.

Part 2 commences at the point the narrator declares she has found 'her' King, and this part is written as an internal (inside the King's head) observation of his life. The King is the third and youngest brother, and so never expected to take the throne, and when his older brothers pass away, finds himself a reluctant recipient of the crown and title. He is a man who deeply loves nature and so struggles with his role and falls into depression. It goes into a lot of detail creating his character and those of his wife, advisers and servants. She conjures emotions and a journey that fit into the facts retrieved by the archivist.

Part 3 is a question and answer presentation provided by the narrator to those about to view the now completed installation. All the rooms, full of furniture, accessories and food, replicating her imagined view of the King's household on a specific day in history.

The story is fascinating, taking these very different viewpoints to explore a life today and an imagined life of a historic King. Of course, the question then is how much of what she imagines about the King is real? Is her interpretation aligned with history and the actual events of the time, or is the King a version of herself? And if this is the case, what is the narrator actually sharing about her life through the voice of this past King?

The Epilogue is needed to pull all the loose strands together, but also poses some new questions to ponder.

All in all, I found this an incredibly enjoyable book to read. Rebecca Perry has previously published poetry and a memoir, and brings a lyrical and beautiful prose to this work, her debut novel. Once I opened the book I found it hard to put down and it is easy and quick to read given its short chapters that have quirky titles such as 'Peeking through a crack in the curtain and seeing another curtain', 'Not all seeds need light to germinate' and 'Voices with no mouths attached'. They are really evocative and set up the reader for the following paragraphs, kind of like giving 'the takeaway point' first and then providing the detail.

I look forward to seeing what Perry does next. It is a very accomplished book with its different styles, and its underlying questions. It will be also interesting to see how this goes with a broader public audience and whether it gets picked up for any of the prizes.

Many thanks to #NetGalley and #GrantaBooks for the pre-release copy. To read more of my reviews: https://yarrabookclub.wordpress.com/

[Nicola Mackenzie-Smaller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a historical novel, but this is unlike others, because it is not about a specific King, or event, but about how we see history and what we know.
The novel starts with a curator, who has experienced an unnamed tragedy, and who is commissioned to dress a historic house to be opened to the public. Wanting to make the scenes as authentic as possible she works with an archivist and lands upon the story of a King, whose record is just a single page. The book then moves to a rich imagining of the life of a King who is not at ease with his role, and all the rumour and suspicion which surrounds him. The book finally reverts to the launch of the curated exhibition, and a lecture about what we know about history.
This is a first novel by a Perry, who is a poet, and the book is beautifully written, in short sections with titles like those of poems. The descriptions of the fake foods used in displays is mesmerising, and the middle section of the book, which imagines the life of the King and court, is immersive, sort of feverish at times, as the curator’s imagination fleshes out his existence.
This is a book I’ll continue to think about after reading.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Granta Publications for the eARC!

This is a short read, which I believe you should read in one sitting, which is set in three parts. The beginning and end from a curators perspective and the middle from the perspectives of various people at court during the King's reign that the curator is creating scenes for in a castle.

The writing in this book was wonderful and it wasn't what I was expecting overall. The descriptions captured my imagination and I was able to feel like I was in the rooms with the Curator and then wished to be a member of the court during the time of the King's reign.

I found it to be quite sad in parts (and a tear did fall) but that kept me wanting to find out what was going to happen next.

This is mainly historical, which is one of my favourite things to dive into as I love the ideas of King's and courts and how they used to work.

I will be recommending this to everyone and I can't wait to read what Rebecca writes next.

[Jack Bigglestone · Rating 4 out of 5]

May We Feed the King entranced me, with its spare and objective writing style that masks an underlying current of strong emotion and its puzzle-like structure that resists being solved. The story is seemingly simple; we meet a curator working to decorate a royal palace with several historical scenes, then travel back to observe the short reign of her subject, finally returning to the visually rich tableaux she has created. What makes this so compelling is the subtle interaction between past and present, the way Perry questions our ability to ever know the truth of history and challenges our desire to recreate it.

It’s an original tale of nostalgia for a lost love, a past time, a freer way of living. It artfully captures the surprise of heartbreak, the feeling of being thrust into a personal future that is painfully unexpected. Like a series of evocative and mysterious sketches, the more you look, the more you seem to see.

[Jen Burrows · Rating 4 out of 5]

May We Feed the King is a sumptuous tapestry of a book. Perry's prose has a luminosity to it that gives her settings a unique lustre and depth. I was swept up by the opening section, told from the curator's point of view, and so was a little disappointed that the contemporary characters only make another brief appearance at the end. The framing encourages you to think about historical storytelling, the evidence we use to we piece others' lives together, so I felt it strange that Perry doesn't engage with any real history at all. The world of the King is a mismatch of fantasy medievalism which kept me from feeling that any of the characters, though richly imagined, were really quite real.

It's a beautiful book, but ultimately a little underwhelming when it could have been much more.

*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*

[nell · Rating 4 out of 5]

yayyyy to the first read of the year being ACTUALLY GOOD. i 💜 historical fiction and i especially love fiction which focuses on something so hyper-niche that it’s a part of the world id never even considered before even though of course it exists. in this case it is the person whose job it is to set up the scenery you see when you visit national trust houses. the kitchen with fake meat on the table, desks with papers stacked on them, etc. the work of this individual bookends the narrative of the king their scenes are based upon…perry is a brilliant writer, brilliant at rendering human characters. i found this so compelling i couldn’t put it down. only wish it had been longer because i wasn’t ready to be done with it. will definitely be looking for whatever she does next. thank GOD we’re starting this year on a high!!

[Jamad · Rating 4 out of 5]

May We Feed the King is a quietly absorbing read and the main pleasure is in the glorious writing. Perry has a way of describing objects, rooms and tiny observations that makes you slow down and enjoy the detail.

The part that worked best for me was the storyline about the curator, going about her work in a museum and trying to assemble meaning from scraps of history. Those chapters felt grounded and intriguing, and I found myself looking forward to being back with her.

The imagined life of the king is clever and philosophically interesting, though it didn’t hold my attention quite as much as the curator did. Still, both strands speak to how we make stories out of the past and how those stories shift depending on who is telling them.

Beautifully written, thoughtful and a bit unusual. Four stars.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

[Ben Dutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

May We Feed the King is the debut novel from Rebecca Perry, previously shortlisted for the TS Eliot poetry prize. It is a strange, beautiful novel of two stories: the first, which bookend the novel, tell the story of a museum curator - an unnamed woman who sets out displays in National Trust type properties and who is withdrawn from the world, preferring to work in miniature and in history. The second tells the story of a long, dead king, also unnamed, a reluctant ruler forced to face history. Though the two stories so not intersect, emotionally they cross currents, and through it's structure Perry manages to tell an engaging and insightful and very human story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

[Christopher Walthorne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book told in three parts: the first is absolutely brilliant, the second is interesting yet way too long, and the third is majorly anticlimactic. It’s a pity, because the start of this novel clearly signals a bold new voice in fiction, but the ridiculously protracted midsection sucks all the energy out of the story, and by the end I honestly didn’t care about anything that had happened, despite being so riveted by the novel’s opening. Once Rebecca Perry learns to write more succinct stories, she will undoubtedly emerge as a fantastic writer, but this overlong debut is an unfortunate misfire.

[Verity Halliday · Rating 5 out of 5]

May We Feed the King is an unusual novel about an unnamed curator who is researching a long-forgotten king to bring one of his palaces to life with staged tableaux of food. Part of the novel is set contemporaneously with the curator and part historically with the King.

The (also unnamed) King and his Queen never expected to reign but the King's older brothers die leaving him in charge and he struggles with the demands of the position. The King's advisors are very dissatisfied with him and try to bully and cajole him into making the decisions they want. I found this very intriguing - it seemed medieval European, but there were potatoes in the story which would be incongruous. Who is this man, when is this man, where is this man?

A very interesting and quick read, recommended for lovers of literary fiction.

[A.K. Adler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captivating in its simplicity, this strange little book deconstructs history and makes us question how we interpret facts and whose stories they are to tell. Like the scene-settings that are described in such loving detail, the author paints a picture in hints and absences, and asks us not to jump to fill in the details. It's almost reverse storytelling, and quite fascinating.

[Sai · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 i kind of loved it idk

[Kate W · Rating 4 out of 5]

The great unknowability of history!

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute feast for the eyes and mind!

'May We Feed the King' was nothing like how I imagined it was going to be. I imagined a dreary historical novel, but what I got was a true delight. The novel starts off in the present, with the narrator, a historic setting expert passionately describing her craft of how she approaches the design, look, feel, smell and taste of a room. Upon getting commissioned to replicate a feast scene for a room within a castle, ready for it's anniversary; she dives deep into the castles archives to gather information and insights into one of the castle previous occupants.

With the deadline looming, she "finds her king", the one who final moments at the dinner table she will replicate. The novel then turns into the historic novel that we expected, one about a king that was never meant to be, and also never truly was. He is lax in his kingly duties, not wanting to do what is expected of him within his role.

I truly this I could read Rebecca Perry's writing all day long, I was lost in the beauty of her prose, can almost taste her use of descriptive language, and the whole book was a true delight.

I will certainly be recommending this book to others, and can't wait to read more of Rebecca's work.