Treacle walker

"Playful, moving and wholly remarkable" (Guardian). "A small miracle" (New Statesman). "Mastery of craft, resonance and deep feeling on every page" (Telegraph). This work is a stunning fusion of myth and folklore, exploring the fluidity of time through vivid storytelling that illuminates an introspective young mind. Joe Coppock, with his lazy eye and love for comics, birds' eggs, and marbles, encounters Treacle Walker, a wanderer and healer, who arrives unexpectedly from the Cheshire moor. This meeting sparks an unlikely friendship, introducing Joe to a world beyond his imagination. The narrative is rich with exuberance and eccentricity, embodying deep thought and resonant mythology, as noted by the Observer. Critics praise its spare, allusive style, describing it as luminous and understated (Rowan Williams, New Statesman) and cryptic yet evocative (Carolyne Larrington, TLS). This work has been recognized as a New Statesman Book of the Year, a TLS Book of the Year, and a Guardian Best Fiction Book of 2021.