The Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller, longlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction 2021

From the acclaimed author of Ghost Wall, Sarah Moss’ Summerwater is a devastating story told over twenty-four hours in the Scottish highlands, and a searing exploration of our capacity for both kinship and cruelty in these divided times.

‘Superb’ - The Times ‘Sharp, searching … utterly of the moment’ - Hilary Mantel ‘So accomplished’ - Guardian

It is the summer solstice, but in a faded Scottish cabin park the rain is unrelenting. Twelve people on holiday with their families look on as the skies remain resolutely grey. A woman goes running up the Ben as if fleeing; a teenage boy chances the dark waters of the loch in his kayak; a retired couple head out despite the downpour, driving too fast on the familiar bends.

But there are newcomers too, and one particular family, a mother and daughter with the wrong clothes and the wrong manners, start to draw the attention of the others. Who are they? Where are they from? Should they be here at all? As darkness finally falls, something is unravelling …

‘A masterpiece’ - Jessie Burton ‘One of her best’ - Irish Times ‘Beautifully written, intense, powerful’ - David Nicholls