SOON TO BE A MAJOR FILM STARRING HELENA BONHAMCARTERFROM THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZEWINNING AUTHOR OF THE GALLOWS POLE COMES A POWERFUL NEW NOVELA TIMES BOOK OF THE YEARWhat a radical thing these days to have written a book so full of warmth and kindness ... Gorgeous Max Porter author of LannyGlorious ... Leaves an indelible impression ... A moving and subtle novel in many ways infused with a love of the minute pleasures in life and the lasting regrets Scotland on SundayOne 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 Hoods Bay. There he meets Dulcie an eccentric worldly older woman who lives in a ramshackle cottage facing out to sea.Staying with Dulcie Roberts life opens into one of rich food seaswimming 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.An i Book of the YearA Reading Agency Book of the YearA BBC Radio 2 Book Club PickA BBC Radio 4 Book at BedtimeAn Observer Pick for 2019