Benjamin Myers
Reviewed by J. F. Nodar - January 5, 2026
My book club chose The Offing as its February read, and my first surprise came before I even started—I had to look up the word offing.
The opening pages initially felt dense with description.
While I enjoy nature, this book made me realise how differently Myers sees and feels the English countryside. Once I settled into the prose, however, I found the writing increasingly beautiful and immersive, filled with vivid observations of landscape and emotion.
The novel follows sixteen-year-old Robert Appleyard, who sets out to walk northern England before returning home near Durham to the coal-mining life expected of him.
The landscape itself becomes a central character, brought to life through Myers’ gentle yet powerful evocations of the countryside.
Near the coast, Robert meets Dulcie Piper, a fiercely independent older woman living alone in a decaying cottage surrounded by an unruly garden.
Dulcie introduces Robert to poetry and good food, while he helps repair her home. A quiet sadness surrounds her, one Robert slowly comes to understand, and an unlikely friendship forms. Though the summer ends and Robert must return home, he is irrevocably changed.
Despite relying on familiar images Myers’ empathy for the natural world ultimately won me over.
In the end, I enjoyed The Offing far more than I expected and came to appreciate its gentle, heartfelt message.
I highly recommend it.
