The Offing

What a radical thing, these days, to have written a book so full of warmth and kindness... GorgeousMax Porter, author of LannyA BBC Radio 2 Book Club PickA BBC Radio 4 'Book at Bedtime'An Observer Pick for 2019One 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.