Seascraper

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2025 BOOKER PRIZE

Some books arrive like the tide—quiet at first, then suddenly all around you. This is one of them.

Meet Thomas Flett. Twenty years old, living a slow and deliberate life with his mother in Longferry, Northern England. He works his grandpa’s trade as a shanker, rising before dawn to take his horse and cart down to the drizzly shore, scraping for shrimp. By afternoon, he’s washing away the salt and sea-scum, pining for his neighbor Joan, and quietly playing his guitar. At heart, Thomas is a folk musician. But that dream stays tucked away, private.

Then a mysterious American named Edgar arrives, searching for the perfect location to shoot his next movie—and asking for Thomas’s help. Suddenly, the promise of Hollywood glamour shakes Thomas loose from the drudgery of his days. But how much of what Edgar claims is true? And how far can borrowed inspiration carry a young man hemmed in by his circumstances?

Haunting, timeless, and stunningly atmospheric, this is the story of a quiet life upturned over the span of a single day.

The critics agree it’s something special:

• “Shimmers, salt-flecked and rippling…Poignant, authentic, and hopeful.” —The Spectator
• “In two words: Short. Brilliant.” —The Times (London)
• “A small wonder…reads like the forging of a new myth.” —Financial Times
• “Benjamin Wood is a magnificent writer and I intend to read everything he has written.” —Douglas Stuart, Booker Prize–winning author of Shuggie Bain

It’s the kind of book that feels right at home here in our salty little cove. Slim, gorgeous, and unforgettable. Come let it sweep you away.

Additional information