The Book of Revelations

Bestselling social historian Juliet Nicolson looks at the lives of women from the 1950s to the present day, and what the changing nature of the secrets they have chosen and been forced to keep tells us about our world — and what makes us tick.

"Utterly engrossing and timely" — INDIA KNIGHT

"A true act of bravery and sisterhood" — ELIZABETH DAY

"Fascinating... truly valuable" — JULIA SAMUEL

"I gobbled this book up. It's a gem" — HELEN BONHAM CARTER

A fascinating blend of social history and first-person stories looking at women and their secrets — and what they tell us about our changing times.

Do you want to know a secret?

The average person is keeping thirteen secrets at any one time, five of which they've never shared with a soul. A secret can thrill one person and destroy another; and the deepest ones echo far down the generations.

The Book of Revelations is a book about the secrets women keep — the ones they are forced into, the ones they hold through shame, and the ones they share. Told through a kaleidoscopic blend of first-person stories and memoir, from the 'silent generation' of women in the 1950s to the influencers of the 2020s, we witness long-buried family secrets aired at last and the repercussions which occur when women who have been forced to keep quiet find their voice. Finally, we are compelled to wonder whether women are once again in danger of being silenced by censure, caution, and fear.

"A fascinating hybrid of memoir and social history... transforms the highly personal into something universal" — London Standard

"A time-travelling investigation... it has a depth charge and a sense of the now that is so timely and important" — Jeanette Winterson