The offing

'What a radical thing, these days, to have written a book so full of warmth and kindness ...

Gorgeous'Max Porter, author of LannyOne summer following the Second World War, Robert Appleyard sets out on foot from his Durham village.

Sixteen and the son of a coal miner, he makes his way across the northern countryside until he reaches the former smuggling village of Robin Hood's Bay.

There he meets Dulcie, an eccentric, worldly, older woman who lives in a ramshackle cottage facing out to sea. Staying with Dulcie, Robert's life opens into one of rich food, sea-swimming, sunburn and poetry.

The two come from different worlds, yet as the summer months pass, they form an unlikely friendship that will profoundly alter their futures. A Times Book of the YearAn i Book of the YearA Reading Agency Book of the YearA BBC Radio 2 Book Club PickA BBC Radio 4 'Book at Bedtime'An Observer Pick for 2019