Seascraper

This beautiful novel set in the North of England in the early 1960s follows Thomas Flett, a 20-year-old shrimp fisherman who aspires to become a folk singer. He lives hand to mouth and in close quarters with his curmudgeonly mother, who had him when she was 15 and won’t tell him who his father was. The spare and atmospheric narrative depicts Tom’s melancholic daily life, which consists mostly of heading out to sea in rough conditions and harvesting shrimp using an antiquated technique taught to him by his late grandfather. In secret, he plays his guitar and pines for his friend’s sister, Joan, whom he’s afraid to ask out. Tom’s world expands with the arrival of Edgar Acheson, an American film director who pays him £100 to serve as a location scout. The payment is a huge sum for Tom and his mother, and he agrees to help Edgar navigate the shore’s dangerous tides. The narrative plays wonderfully with the line between reality and fantasy, as when Tom meets his father in a dreamlike state and finds the inspiration to write a great song. Wood’s novel is a rare and curious pearl. Agent: Gráinne Fox, UTA. (Nov.)