'Sharp, tender, and bracingly honest about who owns a narrative, and what it costs to claim it' OIS+N MCKENNA

'Has all the hallmarks of my favourite kind of novel: introspective, funny, philosophical, and bringing the outside world in' EMMA GANNON

'A tender and intricate novel . . . It’s like looking at a family portrait through the shards of a broken frame' WILLIAM RAYFET HUNTER

'This is such a timely novel about the versions of history we tell inside and outside of a family, who gets to write that down and how grief shapes us. Sharply observed, and deeply human.' JENNIE GODFREY

'A heartfelt, nuanced debut novel which balances the tension of opposites . . . a sparkling ode to sisterhood and finding the sublime in the everyday' SHARLENE TEO

What does it mean for a stranger to think you’re brave? Readers called me ‘raw’ because I wrote about crying into takeaway containers and drunk texting my dead sister’s number. People wanted to believe it was fearless of me to broadcast my breakdown, but the truth was that I’d curated that messiness until it was just the right kind of chaos.

Nola McConkey has made it. Animal Oracle, the memoir she has written about her beloved late sister Darina, has become a hit. People read it, critics loved it, producers now want to make it into a movie. The dream of quitting her job and becoming a full-time writer in London doesn’t seem so far away. There’s only one problem: everyone in her family has an opinion about the book – and none of them are good. Though Nola can’t let it affect her. It’s the price she must pay for the life she wants.

But now, someone has made an anonymous complaint to her publisher about Animal Oracle. Suddenly, her hard-won reputation as a literary darling is at stake. Nola is sure that only someone in her secretive, chaotic family could be to blame. As her parents and three remaining siblings prepare to spend the fifth anniversary of Darina’s death together on the isolated island of Lundy, Nola knows this is the perfect opportunity to convince her accuser to pull the complaint before it causes irreparable damage – but first, she must discover who made it.

A Real Piece of Work is a sparkling and spiky story of complicated families and even more complicated sisters, exploring who owns grief and who gets to tell the story of those who are gone and those left behind with tenderness, nuance and wit.

***PRAISE FOR FREYA BROMLEY***
'Immersive and compelling' CATHY RENTZENBRINK
'Beautiful, brilliantly written' EMMA GANNON
'Astonishing . . . raw, poignant, bracing' GUARDIAN

In a bid to fill the empty space left by her brother’s death, Freya sets out with her friend Miri to swim every tidal pool in Britain in a year. The adventure takes them from a pool hidden in the cliffs of Polperro to the quarry lagoon of Abereiddi, via the Trinkie in northernmost Scotland where locals meet each year to give the pool wall a fresh lick of paint. The further Freya travels, the closer she finds herself to memories of her brother. With every swim, the challenge becomes more than just a way to explore the country’s furthest reaches, but a journey of self-discovery.

The Tidal Year is a story about the healing power of wild swimming and the space it creates for reflection, rewilding and hope. An exploration of grief in the modern age, it’s also a tale of female rage, sisterhood and falling in love after loss.

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‘Some of the best writing on wild swimming that I have encountered’ MARIANNE LEVY
‘I found myself blinking back tears’ HARPER’S BAZAAR
‘A poignant, funny tribute to the complex, tidal nature of grief’ JADE ANGELES FITTON
‘Funny and moving, brimming with bracingly refreshing uncertainty’ POLLY ATKIN

‘The Tidal Year is some of the best writing on wild swimming that I have encountered.’ MARIANNE LEVY

Freya is still searching. For four years, she’s been looking for a way to fill the empty space her brother’s death left behind. Ready for another distraction, Freya decides to swim every tidal pool in Britain in a year with her friend Miri. The adventure takes them from a pool hidden in the cliffs of fishing-village Polperro to the quarry lagoon of Abereiddi via the Trinkie where locals meet each year to give the pool wall a fresh lick of paint.
As Freya travels further from London, she finds herself closer to memories of her brother. With every swim, and every stranger they meet in the water, the challenge becomes more than just a way to explore the coast, but a journey of self-discovery.

The Tidal Year is a true story about the healing power of wild swimming and the space it creates for reflection, rewilding, and hope. An exploration of grief in the modern age, it’s also a tale of loss, love, female rage and sisterhood.

‘Funny, sad and honest, but ultimately also hopeful, The Tidal Year is a wonderful and welcome addition to the growing canon of books exploring the restorative power of wild swimming.’ SOPHIE PIERCE