The Original A Novel
The Original by Nell Stevens, published by W. W. Norton in July 2025, is a novel that explores the complexities of identity and belonging. Set in a decaying Oxfordshire estate, the story follows Grace, a young woman who has grown up feeling like an outsider in her own home. With a talent for art forgery and a desire to escape her family’s expectations, Grace navigates her secret life while grappling with her feelings for other girls.
As the narrative unfolds, Grace’s world is disrupted by the unexpected return of her cousin Charles, long thought to be dead. His arrival brings both hope and tension, as family dynamics shift and questions of authenticity arise. The Original delves into themes of deception, ambition, and the nature of truth within the realms of art and family. This edition spans 336 pages and is presented in English, inviting readers to engage with a richly woven tale of intrigue and self-discovery.
Official synopsis Publisher
Brought to her uncle’s decaying Oxfordshire estate when she was a child, Grace has grown up on the periphery of a once-great household, an outsider in her own home. Now a self-possessed and secretive young woman, she has developed unusual predilections: for painting, particularly forgery; for deception; for other girls.
As Grace cultivates her talent as a copyist, she realizes that her uncanny ability to recreate paintings might offer her a means of escape. Secretly, she puts this skill to use as an art forger, creating fake masterpieces in candlelit corners of the estate. Saving the money she makes from her sales, she plans a new life far from the family that has never seemed to want her.
Then, a letter arrives from the South Atlantic. The writer claims to be her cousin Charles, long presumed dead at sea, who wishes to reconnect with his family. When Charles returns, Grace’s aunt welcomes him with open arms; yet fractures appear in the household. Some believe he is who he says he is. Others are convinced he’s an impostor. As a court date looms to determine his legitimacy–and his claim to the family fortune–Grace must decide what she believes, and what she’s willing to risk.
Is Charles really her cousin? An interloper? A mirror of her own ambitions? And in a house built on illusions, what does authenticity truly mean–in art, in love, and in family?
Deftly plotted and shimmering with Nell Stevens’s distinctive intelligence, style, and wit, The Original takes readers on an unforgettable adventure through a world of forgeries, family ties, and the fluctuations in fortune that can change our fate.
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