The Shepherd's Hut

'Outstanding . . . compulsively suspenseful . . . dazzlingly good' Sunday Times 'Exhilarating, compelling . . . elegiac, transcendent' Guardian 'Remarkable . . . astonishing . . . extraordinary' Scotsman What does it take to keep hope alive in a brutal world? For years Jaxie Clackton has dreaded going home. His beloved mum is dead - and he wishes his dad was too, until one terrible moment leaves his life stripped to nothing. No one ever told Jaxie to be careful what he wishes for. And so Jaxie runs. There's just one person in the world who understands him, but to reach her he'll have to cross the saltlands of Western Australia. It is a place that harbours criminals and threatens to kill those who haven't reckoned with its hot, waterless vastness. This is a journey only a dreamer - or a fugitive - would attempt . . . 'Wonderful. Brutal, agonizing, tender' Sarah Winman 'Unforgettable . . . heartstopping' Mail on Sunday 'Raw, brutal and merciless . . . Holden Caulfield, you have been eclipsed' Spectator 'Transfixing' Philip Hensher