The Fields

A multigenerational epic of time and inheritance, violence and beauty, and the exploitation of the natural world, from the Booker Prize–longlisted author Martin MacInnes.

“Expansive yet intimate . . . a masterpiece that reminds us it is never too late to remake our world, and hope is always within reach.” —Sarah Jessica Parker

Born and raised on a Scottish farm, Jacob is a curious, solitary child, scouring the beach below his house for fossils. As his mother cleans the grand holiday home on their Hebridean island, his explorations begin to uncover a terrible family secret. Through Jacob's story and those of the generations around him, The Fields moves across years and landscapes, from the rhythms of farm life to the frontiers of astronomy, the inner workings of the oil industry, and the promise—and limits—of renewable energy, offering a profound reimagining of our place in the world. 

August, 1955. A sprawling family arrives at Killigarth House for the summer to greet the return of a comet after 400 years. Only the children seem alive to the notes of disquiet behind closed doors. The adults are preoccupied by the stars, arguing the weight of the past versus the potency of the future. 

September, 1987. Months after the birth of his first child, Jacob takes an eight-week voyage on a survey ship prospecting for oil and gas in the North Sea. Amid brutal conditions and industrial violence, he faces trials and discoveries that will change his world forever. 

February, 2030. In a time of environmental and political instability, Jacob’s daughter travels to the Arctic Circle for the end of the long winter, seeking to make peace with the past and forge a new kind of future.  

Breathtaking and elemental, The Fields is an astonishing portrait of the bond between parent and child, the roar of modernity, and the mysteries of time and the human heart. MacInnes asks: What kind of novel meets the crises—political, ecological, existential—that we find ourselves in? Where do we turn next?