The Tangles

One bright autumn morning while swimming off the east coast of England, Amy Liptrot’s fingers wrap around some fresh fronds of kelp. So begins her encounter with seaweed, one that becomes a quest to understand this magnificent life form. Following her curiosity for this undersea world - and determined not to lose her appetite for adventure even with two small children in tow - she moves north to the remote island of Papay, Orkney. There in the depths of winter her young boys come to experience the island life where she grew up, and as spring comes around they spend more time with their elderly grandfather.

What Amy discovers is how critical seaweed is to life on earth. Marine algae produce more oxygen than all land plants combined and absorbs carbon more effectively than trees. Seaweed improves water quality, it can help restore fish stocks and make bioplastic. It’s good as food, fuel and fertiliser. Our world wouldn’t be the same without it and might be our planet's secret weapon.

With her adventure-hungry, lyrical and wind-swept style, Amy records how her family grows and recedes in its new coastal nook. Blending ecology, history and memoir, The Tangles chronicles how paying closer attention the world around her, changes the way Amy moves through the tangles of her own life.