Author: Pedersen, MichaelModern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)Published on 26 March 2026 by FABER & FABER in the United Kingdom.Paperback | 320 pages197 x 129 x 27 | 264g SHORTLISTED FOR THE INDIE BOOK AWARDSSHORTLISTED FOR THE SALTIRES FICTION BOOK OF THE YEARSHORTLISTED FOR THE AUTHORS' CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD'A kaleidoscopic and linguistically daring work . . . Scintillating.' OCEAN VUONG'A quirky and original debut that sizzles with scintillating prose.' BERNARDINE EVARISTO'Michael Pedersen is a rare writer of real passion and power and this debut is phenomenal.' MATT HAIGLife on a remote island is turned upside down by a stranger's arrival, testing bonds of family and tradition and leaving a young dreamer's future hanging in the balance.It's no ordinary existence on the rugged isle of Muckle Flugga. The elements run riot and the very rocks that shape the place begin to shift under their influence. The only human inhabitants are the lighthouse keeper, known as The Father, and his otherworldly son, Ouse. Them, and the occasional lodger to keep the wolf from the door.When one of those lodgers - Firth, a chaotic writer - arrives from Edinburgh, the limits of the world the keeper and his son cling to begin to crumble. A tug of war ensues between Firth and the lighthouse keeper for Ouse's affections - and his future. As old and new ways collide, and life-changing decisions loom, what will the tides leave standing in their wake?
