Set in what feels like the early 60s (1962/3?) Seascraper tells of Thomas, a young man who lives a quiet life in Longferry, rising at dawn to traverse the flat beach with his horse and cart to catch shrimp and sell his haul by noon. Product of the scandalous union of his young mother with an older man, killed in the war, Thomas feels the disdain of the families around him as he plies his trade, loyal to the legacy of his grandfather who showed him how to find a certain pride in the hardship of it. In his heart though, he longs for more. He has a guitar hidden away and is dreaming of the day he can take to the stage in the local folk session and play songs in front of Joan Wyeth, the sister of his friend, for whom he pines. A glamorous stranger arrives, whispering of Hollywood and shaking Thomas from his dull routine. Suddenly, the future feels wider—but is the American all he claims to be, and how far can Thomas chase a dream built on borrowed words? I really loved this. Thomas is a great, noble, character, who wants more from his life, but not at the cost of his integrity. He prizes loyalty, and for him family (including his unnamed horse) is all - although he was not able to finish his education, he has an innate wisdom and sense of honour which guide him well. Though he soon warms to the visitor, he is not dazzled into giddiness. He has an appreciation of the realities of his life, and when he does chance to let his guard down and go against his better instinct, he begins to learn a valuable lesson which empowers him to make changes. Wood’s writing is so effective and efficient, able to evoke the bleak hardship of Thomas’ life and environment, such richness of interiority and depth of scene, delivered in simple, yet graceful, prose. The grey indistinct sea dripped icily from every page, notwithstanding the heartwarming glow of Thomas’ burgeoning discovery of himself. Wonderful.

This novel absolutely deserves to make it to the Booker 2025 Shortlist. I will be crossing everything. I have one word for it - sublime! I was absolutely swept away by this atmospheric book and drawn in by its characters. It’s one of those reads that you don’t want to end and leaves you marvelling at the craft of the writer who can create such a beautiful piece of literature. Why have I not read Benjamin Wood before? I will certainly be recommending this to my friends and looking up his other books.

Thomas leads a dreary life, trawling for shrimp on the coast of Ireland somewhere, in bleak conditions. He lives with his mother and longs to pluck up courage to speak to his friend’s sister, and to compose and sing folk songs. A strange American turns up, scouting for locations for his next project and offering Tom and his mother large sums of money. Will this be the life-changing opportunity Thomas needs? This is a very short novel and I read it in one sitting, finding the writing style to be compelling. The setting is atmospheric and the way Thomas’ character develops is pleasing. Thank you to NetGalley for my free review copy.

The 'seacraper' of the title is Thomas Flett and, sometime in the early 1960s, he makes a living collecting brown shrimp from the mudflats of a Northern estuary. Following on in this work from his father, he is one of the last of the horse-drawn scrapers in an area of work which is becoming increasingly mechanised. It is hard, poorly paid work without much future, and a poor life at home with only his mother for company offers little compensation. Then, he meets Edgar Acheson from 'Hollywood' who is keen to use the beach as a setting for a film and needs Tom's help. Their relationship develops, although the plans come to nothing in strangely unexpected ways - yet Thomas benefits. It's a short book, a novella really, and gives an extended elegiac account of a type of fishing set in the past with no future, and set against an impoverished location which is oddly beautiful. It is the slow evocation of a lifestyle, atmospherically described which gives the book its strength. Thomas never knew his father but there are strange glimpses of him throughout the novel and even an almost ghostly encounter. It is all quite extraordinary but it leaves Thomas with a love of guitar playing and folk music. It's a wonderful read and highly recommended! (Seascraper is published by Penguin Viking. Thanks to the publishers and to NetGalley for an advance copy.)

I've been a great admirer of books written by Benjamin Wood since I've read his debut novel ‘The Ecliptic’. His engaging, beautifully worded stories captured my imagination throughout but ‘The Seascraper’ literally blew me away. It is more of a novella than a novel. It tells the simple story of a young man stuck in the sedate and slow-moving town, dreaming of becoming a musician. What is really beautiful and incredibly gripping is how Wood manages to paint a hauntingly atmospheric story word by word. The whole novel is stubbornly cinematic, as if you are seeing it with your very own eyes. It is truly a poetic, brooding, sublime novel and definitely deserves to be on the Booker short list. Don't forget to put it on your reading list. Enjoy it