Seascraper by Benjamin Wood
*LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2025* *WINNER OF THE NERO BOOK AWARDS 2025* *SHORTLISTED FOR THE WINSTON GRAHAM HISTORICAL PRIZE 2026* *LONGLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL FICTION 2026* 'A huge talent' HILARY MANTEL 'A magnificent writer' DOUGLAS STUART 'One of the finest novelists of his generation' THE TIMES Thomas lives a slow, deliberate life with his mother in Longferry, working his grandpa’s trade as a shanker. He rises early to take his horse and cart to the grey, gloomy beach to scrape for shrimp; spending the rest of the day selling his wares, trying to wash away the salt and scum, pining for Joan Wyeth down the street and rehearsing songs on his guitar. At heart, he is a folk musician, but it remains a private dream. When a striking visitor turns up, bringing the promise of Hollywood glamour, Thomas is shaken from the drudgery of his days and begins to see a different future. But how much of what the American claims is true, and how far can his inspiration carry Thomas? Haunting and timeless, this is the story of a young man hemmed in by his circumstances, striving to achieve fulfilment far beyond the world he knows. *** MORE PRAISE FOR SEASCRAPER: 'A book about dreams, an exploration of class and family, a celebration of the power and the glory of music, a challenge to the limits of realism, and - stunningly - a love story' BOOKER PRIZE 2025 JUDGES 'It's a senuous treat, this novel . . . A language of the sea washes over every page' ROSS RAISIN 'A tale so richly atmospheric you can almost taste the tang of brine and inhale the sea fog . . . [Wood] transforms the quotidian into the poetic, making the exactitude of each task sing on the page' GUARDIAN ‘Wood is up there with the very best. He packs more poetry into his opening paragraph than many a Booker-winner achieves in their entire oeuvre’ JOHANNA THOMAS-CORR, THE TIMES 'Seascraper shimmers, salt-flecked and rippling' SPECTATOR
Seascraper is powerful, poignant and poeticI can’t recommend it enough -- Benjamin Myers, award-winning author of Cuddy
It is a sensuous treat, this novel. So much care has been given to every detail – of shrimps and sea mists and sinkpits, of work and music. A language of the sea washes over every page -- Ross Raisin, award-winning author of God's Own Country
I loved this hugely atmospheric story and its tender portrait of quiet Thomas Flett, a young man who secretly longs to make music, but whose dreams and prospects are constrained by his hard life, local community, upbringing and background. Then a passing American gives him – and us – a brief glimpse into what it means to aspire for something more. Haunting and beautiful, this is a very special novel indeed. -- Sarah Easter Collins, author of Things Don't Break on Their Own
Benjamin Wood is a singular voice. Intense, original, unforgettable -- Kelly Mullen
A huge talent -- Hilary Mantel
What a writer -- Richard Osman
A seriously talented writer * Financial Times *
Britain's answer to Donna Tartt... a talent to treasure * Sunday Times *
A beautiful writer -- Andrew O'Hagan
Wood deserves to be far better known * Irish Times *
It is a sensuous treat, this novel. So much care has been given to every detail – of shrimps and sea mists and sinkpits, of work and music. A language of the sea washes over every page -- Ross Raisin, award-winning author of God's Own Country
I loved this hugely atmospheric story and its tender portrait of quiet Thomas Flett, a young man who secretly longs to make music, but whose dreams and prospects are constrained by his hard life, local community, upbringing and background. Then a passing American gives him – and us – a brief glimpse into what it means to aspire for something more. Haunting and beautiful, this is a very special novel indeed. -- Sarah Easter Collins, author of Things Don't Break on Their Own
Benjamin Wood is a singular voice. Intense, original, unforgettable -- Kelly Mullen
A huge talent -- Hilary Mantel
What a writer -- Richard Osman
A seriously talented writer * Financial Times *
Britain's answer to Donna Tartt... a talent to treasure * Sunday Times *
A beautiful writer -- Andrew O'Hagan
Wood deserves to be far better known * Irish Times *
Benjamin Wood was born in 1981 and grew up in Merseyside. Seascraper is his fifth novel. His previous works have been shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, the Commonwealth Book Prize, the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, the RSL Encore Award, the CWA Gold Dagger Award and the European Union Prize for Literature. In 2014, he won France's Prix du Roman Fnac. He is a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at King's College, London, and lives in Surrey with his wife and sons.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780241741344 |
| ISBN 10 | 0241741343 |
| Title | Seascraper |
| Author | Benjamin Wood |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Penguin Books Ltd |
| Year published | 2025-07-17 |
| Number of pages | 176 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |