'Dark and strange and wonderful' MARK HADDON, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time'Hilarious, moving, and delightfully weird' JO HARKIN, author of The PretenderA bold, vivid and fiercely imaginative historical novel with an unforgettable narrator, exploring intolerance, kindness and what 'madness' really means.In a remote medieval parish, under the rule of a ruthless Abbess, hapless new priest Alberto is charged with guarding those deemed mad – and therefore godless.All ‘insane’ villagers are locked in the Abbey dungeons, released only for the riotous Feast of the Holy Fool. Alberto’s thankless task is to gather them again when the Feast ends – but as he comes to know them, he begins to question whether these so-called fools need saving at all.Only one always escapes him: the Flying Girl, a mysterious child who refuses to speak or be caught.As Alberto’s sympathy deepens into defiance the Abbess calls in the Inferrant Brethren: a brutal religious inquisition with whom Alberto has history... With pressure mounting, Alberto must decide where he stands. Protecting the vulnerable may cost him everything.