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2019 CWA Gold Dagger (shortlist)
CWA Gold Dagger Award Finalist: "A slow-burn thriller about a road trip that takes a shocking turn, and the lasting impact of trauma." —Shelf Awareness (starred review)
Shortlisted for the European Union Prize for Literature
"His mistakes are my inheritance. The rotten blood he gave me is the blood I will pass on."
For twenty years, Daniel Hardesty, who now goes by a different name, has lived with the emotional scars of a childhood trauma he is powerless to undo. One August morning, young Daniel and his estranged father, Francis—a character of irresistible charm and roiling self-pity—set out on a road trip that seems a promise to salvage their relationship.
They have one shared interest: The Artifex—a children's TV program where Fran works on set—and Daniel has been promised special access to the studio. But with every passing mile, the layers of Fran's mendacity and desperation are exposed, pushing him to acts of violence that will define the rest of his son's life.
From the author of The Ecliptic, this is a "harrowing and unforgettable" novel about the bond between fathers and sons, and the invention and reconciliation of self—weaving a haunting story of lost innocence and love (Booklist, starred review).
"A novel written from the gut, and with a correspondingly visceral power . . . superbly unsettling." —Sarah Waters, author of The Paying Guests
"A novel of expertly woven tension and frightening glimpses into the mind of the deranged other." —The Guardian
"Full of suspense and beautifully written . . . terrifically gripping." —The Sunday Times
Genre: Literary Fiction
Shortlisted for the European Union Prize for Literature
"His mistakes are my inheritance. The rotten blood he gave me is the blood I will pass on."
For twenty years, Daniel Hardesty, who now goes by a different name, has lived with the emotional scars of a childhood trauma he is powerless to undo. One August morning, young Daniel and his estranged father, Francis—a character of irresistible charm and roiling self-pity—set out on a road trip that seems a promise to salvage their relationship.
They have one shared interest: The Artifex—a children's TV program where Fran works on set—and Daniel has been promised special access to the studio. But with every passing mile, the layers of Fran's mendacity and desperation are exposed, pushing him to acts of violence that will define the rest of his son's life.
From the author of The Ecliptic, this is a "harrowing and unforgettable" novel about the bond between fathers and sons, and the invention and reconciliation of self—weaving a haunting story of lost innocence and love (Booklist, starred review).
"A novel written from the gut, and with a correspondingly visceral power . . . superbly unsettling." —Sarah Waters, author of The Paying Guests
"A novel of expertly woven tension and frightening glimpses into the mind of the deranged other." —The Guardian
"Full of suspense and beautifully written . . . terrifically gripping." —The Sunday Times
Genre: Literary Fiction
Praise for this book
"A shocking account of extreme violence and its complicated after-effects. It is a vivid and unsettling novel filled with surprises and insights." - Ian McGuire
"Wood takes the passing, shabby details of mundane landscapes and makes them jitter and throb with yearning and menace. A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better is his best work yet - a novel written from the gut, and with a correspondingly visceral power. A superbly unsettling account of trauma and cautious recovery." - Sarah Waters
"Tenderly dissecting the limits of love between parent and child while wriggling with a rich, thrilling tension, this palpably atmospheric story found its way beneath my skin and now lives there. Tell anyone who’ll listen, Benjamin Wood is one of the best novelists in Britain." - David Whitehouse
"Wood takes the passing, shabby details of mundane landscapes and makes them jitter and throb with yearning and menace. A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better is his best work yet - a novel written from the gut, and with a correspondingly visceral power. A superbly unsettling account of trauma and cautious recovery." - Sarah Waters
"Tenderly dissecting the limits of love between parent and child while wriggling with a rich, thrilling tension, this palpably atmospheric story found its way beneath my skin and now lives there. Tell anyone who’ll listen, Benjamin Wood is one of the best novelists in Britain." - David Whitehouse
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Used availability for Benjamin Wood's A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better