The Codes of Love

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Pub Date 4 Mar 2021 | Archive Date 31 Mar 2021

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Description

A thrilling masterpiece of sexual obsession and marital infidelity.  Multiple prize-winning writer’s first novel longlisted for the Guardian Not the Booker Prize.

Ryan and Emily appear to have it all, successful jobs, a beautiful house and the secret to a happy marriage. A secret that involves certain ‘rules’

Beneath the surface trouble is brewing in the shape of Ada. Whimsical, free spirted and beholden to no-one, she represents the freedom Emily’s been striving for and the escape that Ryan didn’t know he wanted. As they are separately (and secretly) drawn to her, things start to unravel. The ‘rules’ are still the rules, to be taken seriously, not to be broken….

This is a wonderfully compelling novel which looks unflinchingly at the power of sexual attraction and what can happen when people give into their desires. A page-turning portrait of a contemporary marriage where all is not quite as perfect as it seems. 

A thrilling masterpiece of sexual obsession and marital infidelity.  Multiple prize-winning writer’s first novel longlisted for the Guardian Not the Booker Prize.

Ryan and Emily appear to have it all...


A Note From the Publisher

Hannah Persaud has been shortlisted for many prestigious awards and has won both the Bath Story Prize, the InkTears short story contest and the Fresher Writing Prize. She lives in Stroud with her family.

Hannah Persaud has been shortlisted for many prestigious awards and has won both the Bath Story Prize, the InkTears short story contest and the Fresher Writing Prize. She lives in Stroud with her...


Advance Praise

‘A tense and sharply observed portrait of love and obsession’ Daily Mail. Staycation Sensations

‘Original, smart and extremely compelling’ Will Dean

‘Keeps you reading late into the night. A gripping modern  tale of love and marriage’ Sophie Ward 

‘A fascinating and compelling exploration of an  unconventional marriage beautifully written from a fresh and unflinching perspective’ Ruth Hogan 



‘A tense and sharply observed portrait of love and obsession’ Daily Mail. Staycation Sensations

‘Original, smart and extremely compelling’ Will Dean

‘Keeps you reading late into the night. A gripping...


Marketing Plan

National Press

Daily Mail and Daily Express reviews

Bloggers/Freelance Reviewers/Influencers

Wide coverage expected the author has 3k+ twitter/blog followers

Regional Press

Wide review coverage expected

National Press

Daily Mail and Daily Express reviews

Bloggers/Freelance Reviewers/Influencers

Wide coverage expected the author has 3k+ twitter/blog followers

Regional Press

Wide review coverage expected


Available Editions

EDITION Mass Market Paperback
ISBN 9781916360242
PRICE £8.99 (GBP)

Available on NetGalley

NetGalley Shelf App (PDF)
Send to Kindle (PDF)

Average rating from 13 members


Featured Reviews

Great debut novel! A truly articulate assessment of love, human connection and everything in between. Absorbing novel with such bold observations.
I like the cover too

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This book was very thought provoking and I liked the way it was written. The themes explored were universal and easy to relate to.

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The Codes of Love is a real page-turner, a gripping chart of relationships which I didn't want to put down. The abrupt ending resulted in my thinking it over for a long afterwards - and the loose ends have made me wish for a sequel. I loved the unpredictability of events and not knowing who would end up where.

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A novel which takes the reader through the breakdown of an open marriage. Each chapter begins by highlighting a rule within the marriage - which ultimately both characters break.

The characters were hard to empathise with. There feels from the very beginning that there can be no positive outcome or any sense of conclusion within the novel.

A very different but easy read, page turning in parts - 3 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and Muswell Press for my copy.

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The Codes of Love is a wonderfully dark, twisty foray into one couple's open marriage. Trust, betrayal, love, and loneliness, this novel is a tale of modern marriage at its best and worst. Beautifully written, incredibly immersive, I couldn't put it down.

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Outwardly, Emily and Ryan have the perfect marriage whilst so many of their circle of friends are breaking up.

Emily is now in her early forties with a husband and two teenage sons; her life appears to be working out exactly as she had planned. Her belief in the open relationship she shares with Ryan since they married some years ago is still strong but is it wise to allow herself to get so close to one of her students?

Meanwhile award-winning architect Ryan becomes increasingly absent from the family as he is besotted with colleague Ada and their new property project in Wales under the ever-watchful eyes of the locals.

This is a story of emotions, betrayal, relationships and keeping up appearances. I particularly enjoyed remote location in Wales, getting to know the characters and watching them develop.

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I don’t think I’ve read any book quite like this one. The Codes of Love is a unique story with a very different kind of trope. The story is based around Ryan and his wife Emily and their marriage. Each chapter is named with the rule of an open marriage. Some chapters are long and some are short and snappy. Ryan and Emily have an open marriage and while it was difficult to understand this topic it certainly made for an interesting read. It seemed to me that it was Emily who was in charge of the story and I did feel Ryan was dragged along with her. Neither of the two characters were particularly likeable and I did at times find it hard to connect with them. More characters are introduced and they bring even more tension to the tense storyline. The writing of this book is superb I can’t fault it. Even though I didn’t like the characters that much I wanted to continue reading and seeing how the drama unfolded. It’s definitely a good book and I can’t wait to read more from this author. Can we also take a minute to appreciate the magnificent front cover. Thank you next galley for this fascinating read.

Review also sent to Goodreads, Amazon and Waterstones

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This was an enjoyable read that I found myself well and truly invested in to the very end. The characters are well developed and each have fantastic, detailed personalities,
The storyline is well paced, and has plenty happening throughout to really capture and hold the readers interest.

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Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

The Codes of Love opens with Ryan and Ada in the Welsh countryside, exploring the hills as they dream about their future together, contemplating buying a run down cottage together as their joint sanctuary. It seems we are about to watch the couple fall deeper in love. When Ryan’s wife, Emily, is introduced in chapter two, it’s clear that this story will be much different than the first chapter suggests.

Emily and Ryan have great jobs, a beautiful house, two teenage sons, and an open marriage. It was Emily’s idea that they live polygamously and there are rules that the couple agreed on when they first married. Their unconventional partnership seems to have served them well as many of their friends around them have wed and divorced over the years. Perhaps they are proud that their arrangement has allowed their union to remain so strong. But when Ada comes into their lives and transfixes them both, it is the beginning of the end of Ryan and Emily’s now complicated marriage.

It’s hard to tell that this is Persaud’s debut novel as it is so well done. I’m really impressed by this book and would recommend to anyone wanting to explore work on the topic of marriage, particularly unconventional marriages. There were a lot of thought provoking issues within relationships discussed in this novel which left me thinking about things I had never even contemplated before.

Persaud’s writing is well-paced and her characters are completely fleshed out. I was hooked from the beginning and The Codes of Love was full of intrigue – I couldn’t put this down.

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