Description

A captivating novel by the author of the 2022 Booker Prize-shortlisted Treacle Walker

Based on a true story, Strandloper tells the incredible tale of a nineteenth-century Englishman, William Buckley, who was convicted and transported to Australia. Refusing to accept his fate he escaped and lived among Indigenous Australians for thirty years.

In this visionary novel, Alan Garner is as true to William the Cheshire bricklayer and William the spiritual leader, as William is true to his fate. The result is extraordinary.

Publisher Review

‘A remarkable feat of literary imagination’ Sunday Times

‘A work of terrible beauty’ Observer

‘Strandloper’s vision is cosmic and as elusive as a rainbow… The ending gathers the words into a powerful cry for wisdom that recognises the ineffable’ Sydney Morning Herald

‘A novel as uncompromising and bright as anything this talented author has ever produced’ Daily Telegraph

‘I know of little in recent fiction more moving than the final section of this novel… Garner’s ambitious subject is matched by an astounding mastery of technique’ New Statesman

‘Garner is his own man … taut, powerful, credible’ Penelope Lively, Independent