Floating Island

An extraordinary and unforgettable debut - Anna Ralph's first novel is a searing psychological account of loss and betrayal in the bestselling tradition of Maggie O'Farrell and Kate Atkinson

Anna Ralph's debut novel is moving, astute and arrestingly readable. I couldn't put it down.

Strong and evocative, with a rewarding depth of emotion ... a direct, sensuous feel which I liked very much; it has a touch of D.H. Lawrence about it. I felt as if I was standing - or sinking - on that floating island.

A straightforward, frankly sensual debut that explores dependency, responsibility, guilt and desire with assured clarity

Anna Ralph was born in Thornaby-on-tees in 1974. She worked as a bookseller, in public relations, and in journalism before writing full-time. The Floating Island is her first novel. She lives in Durham.

They say it's coming back. Before long the moon will find a shadow under the lake. Bubbles will rise and the shadow will spread to a stain. Then, in the night, in the dark, the floating island will surface. Here again. As it was a year ago. The day Tom died. 
 
It's almost a year since fifteen-year-old Matt and his younger brother, Tom, rowed out to the island. Matt, confined to a wheelchair and haunted by nightmares, can't remember what happened. Nor does he want to. 
 
Only when Sarah Bell, a tough, Geordie girl with a no-nonsense approach, takes up the newly vacant position of Matt's carer, do things begin to change for him. At first, resentful of her presence, he tries to drive her away, but she isn't like the other carers. She isn't like anyone he's ever met. 
 
Sarah's attention meanwhile, is focussed on Robert, Matt's psychiatrist. Mature, attractive and a world away from everything she knows, he seems to be exactly what she needs. But Robert, highly skilled at solving other people's problems, is struggling to deal with his own. 
 
As the floating island returns to the surface of the lake, Robert forces Matt to confront the truth about his brother's death, but also, unknowingly, exposes him to an adult world of passion, guilt, and betrayal...

Anna Ralph

Atmospheric, an excellent ear for dialogue, beautifully managed drama ... I liked it very much

Strongly evocative of childhood ... Ralph draws wholly believable characters, tackling some painfully honest situations... This new novel adds to the reputation earned with her first work, The Floating Island, which won a Betty Trask Award

A remarkably well crafted book ... Through an assortment of well drawn characters, the author displays her considerable knowledge of human nautre and her sensitive insight into the human condition

A dark and atmospheric thriller for fans of T M Logan’s LIES and Liz Lawler’s DON’T WAKE UP. 
 
Leo Fisch is a young man with a brilliant future ahead of him. He is bright, sociable and on the verge of moving in with his girlfriend, Kathryn. Outwardly, at least, he seems happy. 
 
When a sinister discovery is made in a forest near Leo's home town, a figure from childhood re-enters his life. David Caldwell is tough and aggressive – the very opposite of the company Leo now keeps. Unlikely friends, they are bound by a shared summer – and secret – they had sworn to forget. 
 
As the past and present begin to collide, the life Leo has built for himself starts to unravel. 
 
Now Leo must confront the boy he once was, and the events of that summer which threaten to destroy them both...

Anna Ralph

Praise for Before I Knew Him

Atmospheric, an excellent ear for dialogue, beautifully managed drama ... I liked it very much

Strongly evocative of childhood ... Ralph draws wholly believable characters, tackling some painfully honest situations... This new novel adds to the reputation earned with her first work, The Floating Island, which ...

A remarkably well crafted book ... Through an assortment of well drawn characters, the author displays her considerable knowledge of human nautre and her sensitive insight into the human condition

Atmospheric, an excellent ear for dialogue, beautifully managed drama ... I liked it very much

Strongly evocative of childhood ... Ralph draws wholly believable characters, tackling some painfully honest situations... This new novel adds to the reputation earned with her first work, The Floating Island, which ...

A remarkably well crafted book ... Through an assortment of well drawn characters, the author displays her considerable knowledge of human nautre and her sensitive insight into the human condition

Atmospheric, an excellent ear for dialogue, beautifully managed drama ... I liked it very much

Strongly evocative of childhood ... Ralph draws wholly believable characters, tackling some painfully honest situations... This new novel adds to the reputation earned with her first work, The Floating Island, which ...

A remarkably well crafted book ... Through an assortment of well drawn characters, the author displays her considerable knowledge of human nautre and her sensitive insight into the human condition

Books by Anna Ralph

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter