I was asked by NetGalley to review this beautiful book.

This is so beautifully written and a story that I will think about for a good while. Story of what could be, opprtunities and choices we may havre in life

So recommended due for publication July 2025.

I loved it.

Thomas lives with his mother in the small, coastal community of Longferry around the 1960s. He ekes out a living driving a horse and cart out to the sea where he scrapes up shrimp to sell on. They are always in debt and the work is very harsh. Wood lists Thomas’s aching joints, pain from his ingrown toenails, exhaustion and semi-permanent state of filth and stench- I was shocked to then read he is only twenty! He has little time to socialise and is shy around the girl he likes, although he does secretly play his guitar a little, and he knows that the old ways are coming to an end, with others getting engines to go shrimping. It seems his luck has changed when he is sought out by an American film director, Edgar Acheson, who wants him to act as guide to the bleak but atmospheric beach and seashore where he works for a film he wants to make, and suddenly Thomas starts to see potential for his own life. A short and unusual story that lingers in the memory, it seems very bleak to begin with but ends filled with hope and possibility. Wood is a very visual and sensual writer, painting a vibrant picture of the biting cold, the grind and physical punishment of the work and the powerful force of the sea and the sinking sands around it. The characters are depicted effectively and sympathetically through their words and actions rather than with lots of description. The resulting impression is of a harsh and often unforgiving life that still contains many small pleasures for those prepared to look for them, and offers the chance of change when least expected. It will linger wiith me for a long time.

Seascraper by Benjamin Wood

Tom is a shanker (dredging shrimp from the sea using nets pulled by a horse and cart) in a dreary town in 1960s England, scratching a living for himself and his mother, and trying to pay enough of their bills that the bailiffs don't come. An American film-maker comes to town and enlists Tom to help him scope out locations for his next movie, but is he all that he seems?

This book was a masterclass in mood and setting - the desciptions of the beach, sea, the horse and cart, and Tom's world were so real they were cinematic. And although short, the book really packed a punch - I had such empathy for Tom who was a big reader and longed to play music, sing and win the heart of his friend's sister, yet was trapped in such a miserable existence. Very highly recommended

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Seascraper is the story of Thomas, a cart shanker - a harvester of shrimp. He has been taught the skills of the trade by his grandfather who helped raise him when his mother was abandoned as a pregnant teenager. Each morning Thomas prepares his horse and cart, and travels to the grey and foggy beach at Longferry, where he casts his nets from his cart while his horse wades through the shallow waters at low tide. After two runs of the beach, he sells his catch to the fishmonger onshore, and returns home to wash away the salt, sweat and scum from his body. The work is hard, solitary and dangerous. There are areas of wet, unstable sand that can swallow the horse and cart of an unwary fisherman.

Thomas dreams of a future that involves Joan, his best friend’s sister who works as a teller, and also of improving his guitar playing so he can perform for the local villagers.

When an eccentric visitor arrives in town bringing the promise of Hollywood glamour and easier money, Thomas is disengaged from the daily grind of his work and he envisages a different future. Thomas is trusting and naïve, can the American visitor deliver the exciting future he is offering?

This is an exceptional story, Benjamin Wood has transported me from my sub-tropical home in Queensland, Australia to an isolated and windswept beach in England, where the inhabitants lead a simple, humdrum life and look forward to little more than having a roof over their heads, food on the table and a brandy to ease the body and soothe the mind. It is a quick read at only 176 pages however Benjamin has packed those pages with exceptional sensitive writing and brilliant characters.

This is a haunting and evocative story that will stay with me for a long time. I would unconditionally recommend the book to all readers who enjoy contemporary and literary fiction. Thank you Penguin Random House UK for the invitation to review this book.

This beautifully crafted, slow-burn novel, full of rich language and writing, is a small wonder. Thomas, a young man living in the fictional town of Longferry at some point in the 1960s (specifics are not detailed here), rises early to work catching shrimp, but dreams of something more, perhaps another life, the life of a musician to impress the woman for whom he pines. Seascraper is a very fine novel. There are no fireworks here, no major plot, but it pulls you in and leaves you with a sense of place, time and of having been witness to a life changing. Benjamin Wood is a talent. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

This book is hard for me to rate. It's a slow burner and certainly no page-turner, even when it could be. A historical novel — allegedly — set in a small fictional town somewhere on the east cost of Scotland (probably in the region of the Borders) at an indeterminate period, but some time during the 1940s or 1950s. Even the narrative's brief mysterious sections are related at an unhurried pace. The story tells of lonely, impoverished and disenfranchised individuals, desperately seeking for some meaning in their lives beyond their hand-to-mouth existence. At less than 200 pages in length it's more a novella than a novel, but that can only be a good thing. Any longer it would likely lack the little tension it possesses in its present form.

Many thanks to the publishers and to Netgalley for the ARC.

Set in what feels like the early 60s (1962/3?) it tells of Thomas, a young man who lives a quiet life in Longferry, rising at dawn to traverse the flat beach with his horse and cart to catch shrimp and sell his haul by noon. Product of the scandalous union of his young mother with an older man, killed in the war, Thomas feels the disdain of the families around him as he plies his trade, loyal to the legacy of his grandfather who showed him how to find a certain pride in the hardship of it.

In his heart though, he longs for more. He has a guitar hidden away and is dreaming of the day he can take to the stage in the local folk session and play songs in front of Joan Wyeth, the sister of his friend, for whom he pines.

A glamorous stranger arrives, whispering of Hollywood and shaking Thomas from his dull routine. Suddenly, the future feels wider—but is the American all he claims to be, and how far can Thomas chase a dream built on borrowed words?

I really enjoyed this. Thomas is a great character, he wants more from his life, but not at the cost of his integrity. He prizes loyalty, and for him family (including his unnamed horse) is all - although he was not able to finish his education, he has an innate wisdom and sense of honour which guide him well. Though he soon warms to the visitor, he is not dazzled into giddiness. He has an appreciation of the realities of his life, and when he does chance to let his guard down and go against his better instinct, he begins to learn a valuable lesson which empowers him to make changes.

Wood's writing is so effective and efficient, able to evoke the bleak hardship of Thomas' life and environment, such richness of characterisation and scene, delivered in simple, elegantly precise prose. The cold indistinct sea dripped wetly from the page, and Thomas’ eventual discovery of himself warmed me through again.

A brilliantly crafted and beautifully written story that, despite its brevity, will stay with me for a long time. The prose is sparing yet powerfully evocative of time and place. It is a deceptively simple tale about the roles of 'imagination', 'opportunities', and 'choices' in life, both our own and those of the people around us. Special thank you to Penguin Random House UK & NetGalley for a digital advance review copy.

Rich and full of character, I could feel the sand under my feet and in my eyes as I read this. Wood has a real knack for descriptive writing, the beach and town came alive as I was reading, it was such a vivid painting of colours, sounds and smells. The clack of the horse on the cobblestone and the smell of the salty sea air, all of these things were so beautifully written I really felt as if I was there on that seafront with Thomas. I wish there was a little more development with Mr Acheson and the Hollywood side plot, but honestly I enjoyed the writing and scenery so much that I didn’t mind the slight distraction at all. A real strong, short story.

This is the story of Tom Flett, a young man just out of his teens and making a subsistence living in a trade he learnt from his grandad. He lives on the coast somewhere in the north of England and the year is probably 1962, given that Lawrence of Arabia is on at the local cinema.

The author gives us the immersive experience of the world of a shrimp fisherman. We learn how a pony is prepared for the arduous early morning trip to the remote coastal fishing ground. We experience the smells and sensations of trundling out into the shallow waters and dragging the bottom for shrimps, the ‘seascraping’ of the title.

We feel for Tom as he battles with this difficult trade, suffers with his ingrowing toenails and endeavours to keep a civil relationship alive with his widowed mother. We learn about Tom’s secret desires, to have the courage to sing and play guitar at the local folk club and his frustrated romantic interests.

So far, so much a life of coastal poverty. But into Tom’s world comes the mysterious Edgar Acheson, perhaps a film director, perhaps a predatory man. He certainly has plenty of cash and offers Tom £100 to take him on a reconnaissance visit to the fishing grounds so that he can scout out camera angles for a forthcoming film.

The novel then shifts gear and moves from being an everyday tale of fishing folk into a twisting plot-driven tale. Like a good thriller, there are reveals, twists, surprises and resolutions. The writing is beautifully done, sparse but with evocative imagery. It captures in eloquent detail Tom’s life and dreams. Literary style and twisty turns make for a great read.

I’m grateful to Penguin Random House for making a pre-publication copy available so that I might make an honest review.

This was sensational. A new to me author who writes with the intimacy of Donal Ryan, and similar authors I've come across in Ireland, but haven't connected with outside of home. I want to read all of his back catalogue now.

It is a coming of age story about a young man directed by circumstance and history to follow his ancestors into the world of fishing, but his dreams are elsewhere. There is a film director visits the fishing village and his mind is opened to a different path. It is engrossing from the start. I was GIFTED an e-ARC from @penguinukbooks

No chapters

Starts off bleak, a 20 yr old forced to fish as his late grandfather did to support his mother, all his earnings go to her
It’s bleak. No tv. He’s a big reader when he can access books. "Their life is just a mindless trudge of work with cosy patterns of behaviour in between..."

Sense of drama about family being somewhat ostracised in the community. The rummy friends that “I wouldn’t even share my handkerchief with”

Hard to figure out time book is set initially or where. I immediately thought west of Ireland , but think it’s West of England somewhere as Wales is nearby. To be fair, the use of a horse for fishing should have told me the time. Or the once a week wash in the tub bath. But it was Elvis Presley and Perry Como being artists of the day that helped.

A stranger arrives, lets see where it goes. A sense of foreboding. But hope at the same time for Thomas and his mother.

Writing is evocative. I felt like I could smell the fish. The grandfather is more like a father and warmly spoken of. "It was Pop who raised him up when lesser fellas would've left him.." The tenderness for the horse.

The sense of smell is strong “the metal tang of the electric iron”

Each sentence means something, you can’t skim read, reminds me of Sally Rooney.
The sentences are often short, packing a punch.

Did it get a bit off track with beginning of second part and meeting father, Edgar saving him? I wasn't so sure where it was going - I went with it, but it was the weakest part of the story for me, but it did propel the character forward. Love the music being part of his makeup though.

The ingrown nails feel significant throughout. But nothing came of it, maybe that's reflecting his life.

Edgar wakes Thomas up. That’s Thomas’s reaction, which I think is quite nice

Thomas leads a dreary life, trawling for shrimp on the coast of Ireland somewhere, in bleak conditions. He lives with his mother and longs to pluck up courage to speak to his friend’s sister, and to compose and sing folk songs. A strange American turns up, scouting for locations for his next project and offering Tom and his mother large sums of money. Will this be the life-changing opportunity Thomas needs? This is a very short novel and I read it in one sitting, finding the writing style to be compelling. The setting is atmospheric and the way Thomas’ character develops is pleasing.

Thomas Flett is a shanker. He leads his horse and cart onto the beach and drags his nets through the shallow waters to catch shrimp. The first part of ‘Seascraper’ takes us through Tom’s working routine and is beautifully written as a timeless ritual passed on through the generations. The monotony of a seaside town out of season is broken by the arrival of Edgar, an established film director who wants to use the beach as a setting for his new movie and is willing to pay Thomas for his inside knowledge. An unlikely friendship grows between them as Edgar accompanies Tom and his horse onto the potentially treacherous Longferry Beach. It took me a while to deduce that ‘Seascraper’ is set during the sixties and Tom has suppressed ambitions to be a folk singer. I was expecting conflict or betrayal, but the tone of the novel is gentler than that and this unusual novel ends on a tentatively hopeful note. I would like to thank Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this atmospheric book.

Seascraper is my introduction to Benjamin Wood, and Longferry -its fog-laden sand beaches- has haunted me as much as it haunts Thomas, the protagonist. I know the weight of doing the same job every day just to scrape by, all while holding onto the quiet ambition of something greater, of singing perhaps. So when Thomas effortlessly composes his first sea shanty, he doubts himself: Maybe it was written before. Maybe he just heard it somewhere. Like all the songs we’ve ever known. Seascraper isn’t just a young man’s search for a bigger life, it’s every artist’s journey to make it in the world.