Seascraper

A Novel

De: Benjamin Wood

Narrado por: Benjamin Wood

Longlisted for the Booker Prize, this “cinematically plotted...radiant” (The New York Times) novel follows shanker Thomas Flett as his quiet life in a small English coastal town is forever changed over the course of one fateful day.

Twenty-year-old Thomas Flett lives a slow, deliberate life with his mother in Longferry, Northern England, working his grandpa’s trade as a shanker. He rises early to take his horse and cart to the drizzly shore to scrape for shrimp, and spends the afternoon selling his wares, trying to wash away the salt and sea-scum, pining for his neighbor, Joan Wyeth, and playing songs on his guitar. At heart, he is a folk musician, but this remains a private dream.

Then a mysterious American arrives in town, and enlists Thomas’s help in finding a perfect location for his next movie. Though skeptical at first, soon Thomas starts to trust the stranger, Edgar, and, shaken from the drudgery of his days by the promise of Hollywood glamour, begins to see a different future for himself. But how much of what Edgar claims is true, and how far can his inspiration carry Thomas?

Haunting and timeless, from “one of the finest British novelists of his generation” (The Times) Seascraper tells the story of a quiet existence upturned over the span of one day, and a young man hemmed in by his circumstances, striving to achieve fulfilment far beyond the world he knows.

Lyrical prose

Enjoyed this read more than most. A stranger comes to town and changes the life of this man in unexpected ways. For a relatively short novel, it packs a punch with vivid descriptions, complex characters and beautiful prose.

Melancholic & Uplifting

Happened upon this book at random and so very glad I did. I fell in love with the setting and characters almost instantly. The story has a strong and unique gothic overtone with its ever present bleak weather and heavy fog and listless characters. The colloquial northern phrases, dialect and lifestyle all add to the feeling of being in the same liminal space that Thomas exists in. Descriptions were spellbinding, dialogue was witty in an understated way and I felt a powerful emotional connection to not only our lead character but all of the characters in his periphery. The author also has a fantastic singing voice as an added bonus. (I need to see the release of Seascraper as a single !!!)

Anyway, read this book. I could have easily lived in this world for another 5-10 hours.

We could all be a little more like Thomas

What a beautifully told story. I’m not good at writing reviews, especially when a book touches me like this one did. It’s all just too hard to put my feelings into words. I cried like a baby at the end. I’m hopeful that Thomas will get everything he truly deserves. Thank you Mr Wood for writing such a tender and inspiring story. And if that’s you singing and playing, you did a marvelous job. It really added so much to the book.

Salt of the earth

Such an intimate insight to this young man’s life and mind. Lovely story, great fall
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