Matrix

With her thrilling debut book since the ground-breaking Fates and Furies, Lauren Groff makes a triumphant comeback.

Marie de France, at 17 years old, is sent to England to take up the role of prioress of a poor abbey, where the nuns are facing starvation and illness. She was expelled from the royal court by Eleanor of Aquitaine because she was considered too rough-hewn and harsh for marriage or a life at court.

Initially shocked by the harshness of her new life, Marie finds love and purpose in her group life with her unique and erratic sisters. Marie gradually replaces her longing for her family, her own country, and her youthful impulses with something novel in this trial: her sisterly devotion and her faith in her own heavenly visions. Marie is determined to set a daring new path for the women she currently leads and defends. Marie was born the last in a long line of women warriors and crusaders. But will Marie's vision alone be strong enough in a world that is changing and eroding in horrifying ways, one that will never make sense of her existence?

A captivating depiction of devouring passion, deviant religion, and a woman who history moves both through and around, Matrix brings together currents of violence, sensuality, and religious ecstasy. It is a work that is equally alive to the sacred and the profane. First published after Fates and Furies, Lauren Groff's new book is a relevant and bold examination of the unbridled creative potential of women in a corrupted society.