What We Can Know

*A WATERSTONES PAPERBACK OF THE YEAR 2026* The breathtaking new novel from Ian McEwan 'A thumping literary mystery' Independent 'A gripping page-turner' Observer 'A beautiful novel, full of wisdom and heart. I loved it' Elif Shafak 2014: A poem is read aloud once then vanishes without a trace. 2119: A century later, the seas have risen and the world is under water. Those who remain are haunted by what's been lost - and what might still be found. When university scholar Tom Metcalfe stumbles across a clue that may lead to the great lost poem, he reveals a story of entangled love and a brutal crime that challenges everything he thought he knew about the past… READERS LOVE WHAT WE CAN KNOW: 'Fantastic…a book I will treasure forever' 'Brilliant, gripping, fascinating' 'Makes you question everything you think you know' 'A beautiful exploration of memory and love' 'What a book. Utterly absorbing'