Rik
Absolutely brilliant. The dynamic betwixt the characters was perfect to keep me wondering "where the **** is this going?" A twisty turny tale. Tom Sharpe-esque.
Contemporary
“Hunting for ambergris... I think I’ve gone a little bit mad. You keep going back, hoping there’ll be more. How can you walk a trail when you know it has no end?”
A seaside caravan dweller obsessed with finding ambergris to win back his girlfriend declines slowly into madness whilst his home is cuckooed.
In the small town of Torc-next-the-Sea, Taylor Canyon finds himself manipulated by a pair of siblings, who have their own agendas of love and conquering. Too much of a recluse to confront their increasing demands, Canyon sinks further into his futile quest, abusing his body through starvation, exhaustion, and alcohol.
Canyon journals his adventures, chaotic and confused, whilst his lodger and lover continue to pull his strings.
When a whale washes up on the beach, it seems Canyon's prayers have been answered. But will he find his treasure before it – and his grip on reality – washes away?
This is a story about the absence of love, the efforts one man goes through to bring it back, and the pain that ensues when he's not strong enough to finish what he started.
Here's what readers have to say about this book....
Absolutely brilliant. The dynamic betwixt the characters was perfect to keep me wondering "where the **** is this going?" A twisty turny tale. Tom Sharpe-esque.
The Ambergris Trail is a strikingly original debut, with a distinctive voice, a vivid sense of place and a narrator who stays with you long after the last page. It's bleak in places, but without spoilers it ends on a note of hope that feels hard-won but earned, and all the more welcome for it. I'll be first in line for whatever Dax Cornwell writes next.
An odd but beautiful, and totally unforgettable novel about loneliness and obsession
Brilliant and impressive. Beautifully written. Powerful. Harrowing at times. It creates the claustrophobic atmosphere that reflects Canyon's helplessness and that feeling stayed with me between readings. It is full of perceptive and succinct descriptions of the state of human existence. I am looking forward to your next one! Cheers!