Only the Ocean

Breath-takingly fierce, smart and tender, Only the Ocean is a story of survival, and courage in the midst of darkness that will thrill fans of Patrick Ness and Sarah Crossan

The two girls sat at opposite ends of the boat and Kel dug and stretched the oars into the ocean like her life depended upon it because it did.

'Just so you know,' said Rose, 'everything, and I mean everything, is your fault.'

Kel Crow lives in a dead-end swamp with her deadbeat family and a damaged heart. But she has a plan to escape. It's a one-two-three fortune story that goes: stow away on the ship, kidnap the girl, swap the girl to pay for passage to America and a life-saving operation.

But the ocean is an untameable force, and wrecks ships and plans alike…

Sweet, raw and uncompromising – this is the story of an unforgettable relationship forged on an epic journey.

About the Author

Carthew is a working-class country writer from Cornwall, where she lives with her girlfriend. She has written all her books outside, either in the fields and woodland that surround her home or in the cabin that she built from scrap wood. She has written two books of poetry, as well as three novels for young adults, Winter Damage, The Light That Gets Lost and Only the Ocean, all for Bloomsbury. Her first novel for adults, All Rivers Run Free, is published by riverrun/ Quercus.

Natasha has written for many publications on the subject of wild writing, including the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook, Eco-fiction, TripFiction, the Guardian, the Big Issue and the Dark Mountain Project. Shes currently writing her second literary novel for adults and a new collection of rural poetry.