the Story of Forest

From the award-winning novelist, a vibrant imagining of the tumultuous world of early twentieth-century Europe through the eyes of Mina, a young girl whose adventures begin in a deep dark forest. It's 1913 and a young, carefree and recklessly innocent girl, Mina, goes out into the forest on the edge of the Baltic sea and meets a gang of rowdy young men with revolution on their minds. It sounds like a fairy tale but it's life. The adventure leads to flight, emigration and a new land, a new language and the pursuit of idealism or happiness - in Liverpool. But what of the stories from the old country; how do they shape and form the next generations who have heard the well-worn tales? From the flour mills of Latvia to Liverpool suburbia to post-war Soho, The Story of the Forest is about myths and memory and about how families adapt in order to survive.'Epic and marvellously entertaining' Financial Times'A perfect work of art and craft and such a good story... I felt I was living it. I couldn't put it down' Philippa Perry'Jewel-like clarity... exceptional' Reverend Richard Coles'Such an intelligent family saga, ambitious and moving and funny too... I loved it' Tessa Hadley SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL FICTION 2023 'Epic and marvellously entertaining... There's a furious energy to the novel, which constantly moves forward even as it looks sorrowfully back'FINANCIAL TIMES'Magnificent... I want to press a copy on everyone I know'NIGELLA LAWSON'Epic, magnificent, beautiful... I couldn't put it down' PHILIPPA PERRY'Jewel-like clarity... exceptional'RICHARD COLES'Exquisite writing [and] a triumphant, elegant ending' MAIL ON SUNDAY'An intelligent family saga... ambitious and moving and funny' TESSA HADLEYIt's 1913 and a young, carefree and recklessly innocent girl, Mina, goes out into the forest on the edge of the Baltic sea and meets a gang of rowdy young men with revolution on their minds. It sounds like a fairy tale but it's life.The adventure leads to flight, emigration and a new land, a new language and the pursuit of idealism or happiness - in Liverpool. But what of the stories from the old country; how do they shape and form the next generations who have heard the well-worn tales?From the flour mills of Latvia to Liverpool suburbia to post-war Soho, The Story of the Forest is about myths and memory and about how families adapt in order to survive. It is a story full of the humour and wisdom we have come to relish from this wonderful writer.Orwell Prize for Political Fiction Award Ceremony - 22 June 2023