The Tangles

'Fascinating. Elemental. Extraordinary' ANNIE MACMANUS

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.

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 to the world around her changes the way Amy moves through the tangles of her own life.