A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better

‘A shocking account of extreme violence and its complicated after-effects. It is a vivid and unsettling novel filled with surprises and insights’ Ian McGuire, bestselling author of The North Water
'A heart-breaking and heart-stopping new novel; a dark Northern noir that moves at breakneck speed but never fails to be tender and vulnerable as well as visceral and terrifying' Andrew McMillan
'A novelist to watch' The Times 

The acclaimed author of The Ecliptic, Benjamin Wood writes a novel of exceptional force and beauty about the bond between fathers and sons, about the invention and reconciliation of self – weaving a haunting story of violence and love.

For twenty years, Daniel Hardesty has borne the emotional scars of a childhood trauma which he is powerless to undo, which leaves him no peace.

One August morning in 1995, the young Daniel and his estranged father Francis – a character of ‘two weathers’, of irresistible charm and roiling self-pity – set out on a road trip to the North that seems to represent a chance to salvage their relationship. But with every passing mile, the layers of Fran’s mendacity and desperation are exposed, pushing him to acts of violence that will define the rest of his son’s life.

Praise for The Ecliptic, shortlisted for the Sunday Times/PFD Young Writer of the Year Award:

'A resounding achievement . . . Rich, beautiful and written by an author of great depth and resource' Edward Docx, Guardian

'Full of suspense and beautifully written, superbly imagined and constructed . . . A terrifically gripping and playful book' Sunday Times

'Exhilarating, earthy, cerebral, frank and unflinching . . . A masterfully paced and suspenseful read' Independent

'A rich, intricate and layered work' Observer

'Haunts the imagination long after the final page' Independent on Sunday 

'A gorgeous and harrowing work' Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station Eleven