Some stories ask us to slow down — to listen more closely to what is felt but rarely spoken.
For FRESH INK, our third selection is A Private Man: an exquisite, slow-burning novel of faith, desire, and the quiet revolutions that shape a life.
Rome, 1953. David is young, handsome, charismatic and sworn to celibacy. He is freshly ordained, and about to return to England to begin life as a priest. Devotion to God is all he’s ever known.
In London, Margaret is entangled in an impossible love affair. Committed to living on her own terms without sacrificing her faith, she becomes drawn to a women’s movement challenging the archaic rules of the Church.
When their lives are thrown together at a Catholic college in a quiet village, an undeniable connection forms between them. And so begins a story of forbidden love, sacrifice and secrets, with consequences that will reverberate across the generations.
Written with luminous precision and emotional depth, A Private Man is a novel that honours stillness and complexity. It is tender without sentimentality, passionate without excess, and a meditation on belief, doubt, and the fragile courage it takes to remake oneself.
It’s a book to be read slowly, savoured, perfect for readers who seek beauty of language and stories that linger long after the final page.
Why this book? Why now?
Because FRESH INK is as much about quiet revelations as bold beginnings, about discovering voices that expand our understanding of love, faith, and the choices that define us.
Our third pick reflects everything we cherish:
✨ a luminous, assured voice
✨ a story of intimacy, belief, and consequence
✨ a collectible edition made for careful reading
Exclusive FRESH INK Edition
Every FRESH INK release is designed to be as collectable as it is unforgettable:
- Signed and numbered first edition
- Exclusive head and tail bands with ribbon
- Accompanied by author insights and behind-the-scenes materials
- Only available to FRESH INK subscribers
Critical Praise
“I loved A Private Man.Sy-Quia writes beautifully and energetically about faith and food and clothes and sex. Her prose embraces beauty and her characters are complex and compelling. It’s a rare pleasure to read this novel” -- Sarah Moss, author of Ripeness
”A rich, elegant and textured novel full of quiet, beautiful revolutions, which sparks with erotic friction. A Private Man is a brilliant debut about secrets and belief, about the collision of lives, and about the liberation of being remade” -- Seán Hewitt, author of Open, Heaven
”A Private Man is a warm, tender novel, written with such beauty and precision that it frequently stopped me in my tracks. I read it slowly, carefully, marvelling at an image, savouring each glint and turn” -- Alex Hyde, author of Violets
”A luminous, deeply thoughtful and moving love story. Breathtakingly honest and true on sex, on art, on the analogy between religious and corporeal pleasure, A Private Man is also a meditation on care, faith, doubt and loss. A beautiful and wise novel” -- Luke Kennard, author of The Answer to Everything
”A Private Man is truly outstanding: clever, passionate and as clean as a bone” -- Melissa Harrison, author of All Among the Barley
