The Offing

A BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick

Preview

Failed to add items

Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.

Add to basket failed.

Please try again later

Add to wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Remove from wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Adding to library failed

Please try again

Follow podcast failed

Unfollow podcast failed

LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 Months Free + £10 Audible voucher

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Get this deal

Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST.

More purchase options

The Offing

By: Benjamin Myers

Narrated by: Ralph Ineson

Get this deal

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £11.55

Bloomsbury presents The Offing by Benjamin Myers, read by Ralph Ineson.

FROM THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE GALLOWS POLE COMES A POWERFUL NEW NOVEL
A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR
_______________________

‘What a radical thing, these days, to have written a book so full of warmth and kindness ... Gorgeous’ – Max Porter, author of Lanny

‘Glorious ... 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 Sunday
_______________________

One 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 Hood’s Bay. There he meets Dulcie, an eccentric, worldly, older woman who lives in a ramshackle cottage facing out to sea.

Staying with Dulcie, Robert’s life opens into one of rich food, sea-swimming, 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 Year
A Reading Agency Book of the Year
A BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick
A BBC Radio 4 'Book at Bedtime'
An Observer Pick for 2019©2019 Benjamin Myers (P)2019 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Benjamin MyersRalph InesonBloomsbury Publishing

Contemporary Fiction

Genre Fiction

Historical Fiction

Fiction

Feel-Good

Heartfelt

Contemporary Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Fiction Feel-Good Heartfelt

Critic reviews

This quiet, lyrical novel confirms a powerful new voice

This is a poetic book with a winning generosity of spirit, moving from a folksy celebration of the rural north to a revelation of the broader horizons that can come from reading and some serious culture

It’s a poignant story, and Myers’ descriptions of the countryside are wonderful

One of the most interesting, restless writers of his generation … Unfurling at the unhurried pace of a fern, it’s an evocatively lyrical paean to the countryside – deeply felt and closely observed

A draft of cool, clear water, it feels like a cleansing book ... He’s such a good and brave writer … there’s a lot of heart in this book ... I was comparing it to some Ted Hughes poetry and it’s so much more hopeful than that … there’s light in this landscape ... A very original writer and has pushed the form in all kinds of ways

Every page is studded with descriptive jewels … Deeply attuned to the natural world … Poetic … This book is a sensual pleasure … It’s about the forever things: good food, and art, and friendship, and how those pleasures can redeem us, even during the harshest of times

Quietly gripping … Written with Myers’s customary grit and brio … A welcome advance, one that sees Myers effortlessly extending his range

What a radical thing, these days, to have written a book so full of warmth and kindness. Two complaints: it made me hungry, especially their first meal. It made me want to swim so badly. It’s gorgeous (MAX PORTER)

A keenly observed and heartfelt appreciation of landscape and place

Myers’ prose and poetry makes a celebration of the "new Ondaatje" a far less preposterous mantle than it may seem

Glorious ... 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

Imbued with all the evocative rhythms of the passing seasons. This is what folk music would look like if it came in the written form

Book by book, over the past decade, Ben Myers has proved himself to be one of the most singular, moving and crucial voices of our times, making The Offing one of the must-read books of the year (DAVID PEACE)

It reminds me of a time when David Bowie could serve up something new with almost every album ... the book portrays an uncanny feminine touch and though the trip is gentle, there are deep undercurrents in this heart of a new rural darkness

A tender, tragic but warming story of love and living amid the flux of time, the sea and the seasons, The Offing is both beautiful and beautifully told. Through its pages, Myers carefully and thoughtfully reaffirms the values and riches of human connection, freedom and the joy of living on your own terms (ROB COWEN, award-winning author of Common Ground)

Featured article: embracing the British seaside this summer? Here’s 10 listens for your travels

Whether you’re visiting Brighton, Blackpool, or the Outer Hebrides, here’s a title for every trip. It’s a selection as varied as our beloved British coast, with laughs, thrills, and romance to accompany you on what’s (hopefully) a sunny summer holiday.

Most relevant

When I first began to listen, I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book. However, I soon discovered that I Loved it...and devoured it in two or three sessions. We hear Robert going from an unsure and anxious 16 year old to a mature and then much older man.

Everyone needs a 'D....' in their life ... irreverant. funny and abundant in her generosity. I really did not want this book to end.

The narrator is excellent too. A good use of 1 credit.