4 Stars
This novel was brought to my attention when it appeared on the 2025 Booker Prize longlist.
The novel is set in the early 1960s in a coastal village in northwestern England. Twenty-year-old Thomas Flett earns his living as a shanker: he rides a horse up and down the beach scraping the sand for shrimp. His is a hard life that has taken its toll so he shambles along “with all the spryness of a nursing-home resident.” He yearns for more than his life which is “just a mindless trudge of work”; he dreams of performing folk songs in the local pub and courting a local young woman. Unfortunately, he lacks the courage to do either.
Thomas’ life changes with the arrival of Edgar Acheson, a fast-talking American who claims to be a film director scouting locations for a movie. Though Thomas is reluctant at first, he eventually agrees to act as Edgar’s guide. It’s not just the money: “It’s a bridge he wants – between Longferry and the world beyond – and Mr Acheson could be the one to help him build it.” But is Edgar all that he claims to be?
And that’s the reason why I found much of the novel to be suspenseful. Aspects of Edgar’s behaviour cast doubt on his claims. Perhaps I was overly skeptical of Edgar because the novel reminded of Whale Fall by Elizabeth O’Connor in which a young girl yearns for life in the wider world but ends up being manipulated by visiting ethnographers who lie to her and steal from her. I was concerned that he is being led down the garden path. And my concern increased as Thomas becomes more invested in Edgar’s plans: “He gets the sense that something’s turning in his fortunes. All those dreary shifts at sea, gone unrewarded. All his ma’s relentless praying before bedtime. Well, at last a table scrap of luck’s been thrown to them to gnaw the meat off.”
And then there’s tension because of the danger involved in Thomas’ work. There are sinkpits everywhere which can claim a person’s life yet Edgar insists on Thomas taking him out on a foggy night. I found myself even worried about Thomas’ horse: Thomas warns, “’The horse’ll tire out and catch a chill if we stay out in [the cold, deep water] too long’” but Edgar ignores him and even admires the horse’s colour when it has worked up a sweat: “’It’s got a lustre to it now it’s got a sweat on – really great.’”
It is impossible not to like Thomas. His intelligence is obvious. Unfortunately, he is forced to leave school in order to help his family, though he had “an awareness of his own capacity.” His life is difficult; the novel begins with details about his daily routine, details which emphasize how harsh and monotonous his life is. And all that work barely guarantees that he and his mother can survive. His comments about Edgar reveal such humanity; even when disheartened, Thomas is capable of understanding and compassion. His mother may be a nag but Thomas remembers her sacrifices for him so it’s obvious he could never abandon her.
The novel is a coming-of-age story. Thomas learns that he’s lost joy in his life: “most folk seem to carry on undaunted, just like children gaily sliding down a sand dune. When did he stop sliding for the fear of broken glass and bloody knees?” He also realizes the power of art. Edgar tells him that “’Art’s the only way I’ve ever had of making any sense of [life].’” Later Thomas thinks that though the sea provides his livelihood and he can respect himself for being steadfast to his work, “there’s no meaning in it any more,” but music would provide him “with a better purpose” because “a song belongs to someone. To whoever dreamed it up. Yesterday it wasn’t even born, and now it’s in the world.”
This is more a novella than a novel, yet it has so much in it. I can understand why it has been applauded so widely.
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